A Crimson Christmas
by Fateless Wanderer
Summary: There has been a period of calm; the gundam boys have grown up and started their own families. But what happens when Quatre is mysteriously kidnapped and then the criminal wants something impossible as the ransom? Revenge! Who could fix things?
1. Default Chapter

Author Note: Brand new story coming at you! Well, maybe not brand new. I have been working on it for a few months. Inspired by two very important people: Queen Vixen and Pegasusacc. If you like this, then you have to check out their work. Well not much to say for an intro, I just figured, I've got some time on my hands, I might as well, get to work on this. Please, read and enjoy. Don't forget to review.

Disclaimer: I do not and will not ever own anything that you may recognize from Gundam Wing. There, now you can't sue me.

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Year: After Colony 231

Location: Colony Cluster L2

A gun. A single, metallic, deadly sounding word. What else could be used to describe such a device? It leads to nothing but endless, cruel pain and torment. And yet he watched it as it sat in the most unlikely of places; a white washed end-table draped with a lacy cloth.

He sat in a pale blue armchair directly beside the table, his back toward the kitchen door and the thee people inside it. His crept closer and closer the metal object, slowly at first, but then increasing in speed. Beads of perspiration accumulated on his forehead. He felt and heard his respiration rate and heart beat increase drastically; the sounds of them completely downed out the sounds of the television in front of him. Why did he hesitate? There was a time when he would have done this so willingly; a time when he wouldn't have given it a second thought.; but that time had evaporated, just as the casing over his heart had. It had disappeared in an instant; and it could never return.

He felt his hand collide with the weapon. His fingers mechanically wrapped around its cold body. He body knew exactly where each finger must go. He smirked. Like learning to ride a bike. Slowly, he raised the small killing machine into the air. He could hear the voices of those behind him. They were happy. Who wouldn't be with Christmas next week. Who wouldn't? He wouldn't, that's who. Before he knew it, he felt the metallic coldness of the opening of the gun's barrel against his temple. He smiled again. Now they wouldn't ever be able to find him. They would leave him and those he loved alone. They would deal without him. He shut his brilliant lavender eyes tight and pulled the trigger.

A click. A solitary click.

"Damn it!" he whispered, opening his eyes. Of all the dumb mistakes. The gun was empty. He dropped the object that had come so close to ending his life into his lap. He glared at the weapon; he blamed it. Any trouble that would follow would be a result of the fucking gun lacking ammunition. He entered a trance; hypnotized. Something spoke to him. A metallic, yet strangely familiar voice. It mocked him; told him the truth. A truth he didn't want to here.

"You knew! You know you knew! You couldn't have done it!

You've always been too soft. And now you're even softer."

"Dad? Dad?" A young girl's voice rang through his ears. He snapped back to reality. In front of him stood a fifteen-year-old girl. Her eyes, that matched the color of his perfectly, were filled with worry. Her face was thin, much like her mother's and she shared her mother's cascading blond hair. But her nose; that was his, and her ears too. She was his daughter, and there was no one more proud to say that than he. She held the gun in her hand; tears forming in violet perfection.

He sighed. She knew what he had tried. He felt in his heart that she also knew why. They stared at one another in perfect understanding. The voices of the girl's mother and brother remained in the kitchen; cheerful. They knew nothing of what had transpired in the last few minutes. She hadn't said a word to them. His secret, his attempt, only she knew; and she wouldn't tell a soul. He knew she wouldn't. His wife's voice called to her. He watched her hide all the traces of sadness in her eyes, so that there was not even a bit remaining; she dropped the device in his lap and walked away; for an instant, resting her hand on top of his, which resided on the chairs plush armrest. She seemed to say she understood. And then, she was gone.

A few minutes later, he stood up and stretched, forgetting about the gun until it toppled on to the floor. The sound it made as it hit the hardwood floor made him jump. It startled his family as well. The woman and her son turned to look at him; the daughter stared in horror; they would find out.

"Duo? What was that?" His wife's voice echoed through his body, banging against his body, making his whole being vibrate. Time seemed to stand still. Each second lasted for an eternity. His mouth went dry and his eyes filled with tears.

"Nothing," he called back, struggling to keep his voice steady, his eyes locked on the floor. The gun's barrel had been knocked open and a solitary bullet rocked back and fourth next to it, as it slowly lost it's velocity.

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Author Note: Again, this story was inspired by two of my best friends. Honestly, with out them I wouldn't have had the courage to even try this. So really, this story was really more of a challenge than any of my other ones. This is only the beginning, there is plenty more to come, if this one works out. Anyway, go ahead and click the little button that says "Submit Review".


	2. Where for art thou?

And now, I present to you all, the first chapter of A Crimson Christmas: My Experimental story. Read, Enjoy, and don't forget to review. It makes me very very happy.****

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Year: After colony 231

December 13th

Location: Colony Cluster L5

The rain pelted the window, shaking the glass of the shabby, rundown apartment. The streets around it were littered with debris and trash; stray animals tipped over empty trash cans on a regular basis. But to some people, it was still home.

A car door slammed a small bit in the distance, and small honk; the sound of the automatic door lock. But in that place, locking the door may have just as well been useless. A flash of lightning, and a figure in a black trench coat walked into the building across the street; possibly attempting to take shelter from the relentless drumming of the rain.

Nikki watched him, her eyes scanning the darkness and following every one of his movements as if they were glued to him, the only visible life form that moved on the street. Behind her, in the depths of the apartment, came the sound of running water. The steam from the hot shower spread itself thin as it filled in all the space in the small dwelling. Nikki clutched the brown terrycloth towel that she had wrapped tightly around her thin and naked body. Her toes curled, digging into the gray carpeting beneath her. Her light brown hair hung limply and dry across her shoulders, cascading down her back, falling slightly in her eyes.

Another flash illuminated the street below. A troop of figures dressed in black trench coats attracted her brilliant green eyes as they sauntered up into the building across the street, leaving the road as bare and desolate as it usually was. Nikki licked her lips, biting the bottom one slightly. Something felt off.

Suddenly a hand that was almost smooth, yet showed signs of being well used and worked with, was pressed against her right bare shoulder. She felt warm breath on the back of her neck. Nikki raised a left hand, it's nails painted black, and rested it on top of the hand touching her skin so gently. The next moment, the young man behind her was caressing her neck with his warm lips, rolling his hands up and down her arms. The moment he paused, she took a chance to turn and face him, pressing her own pink lips against the soft luxury of his. Nikki's body pressed against Haru's bare torso as she secretly hoped that the towel he wore would slip off.

Haruko Yuy had know Nikki all of his life, but had not thought much about her presence until only two years prior to the night he found himself in his small run down apartment with her. Haru had sworn to stay away from love as long as he could, but there had been something about Nikki that called to him. Perhaps it was her free nature, or her endless devotion to him. Either way, he loved her with his heart and soul and knew that if need be he would die for her.

He stopped kissing her and took her hand in his, leading her through the bedroom and into the warm, no hot, bathroom. They stepped onto the blue bath mat. Their reflections were blocked by the steam that fogged the mirrors. Haru locked his eyes on hers and let his towel fall to the floor. He smiled when Nikki's eyes darted down and back to his face. She clutched the top of her own towel with one hand; blushing slightly, she let it unravel and collapse on the floor in a tangled pattern with Haru's. He took her hand and carefully helped her into the shower, bracing her against him so she wouldn't slip on the wet bottom of the bathtub.

Nikki buried her face in his wet shoulder, closer her eyes and basking in the warmth he and the water provided. The talked quietly above the low roar of the water, confessing love to one another over and over again.

At that moment Haru knew he would love her forever. As he watched her glistening body sway as she rolled the soap bat over it, he imagined a future in which they could live undisturbed and free of fear. He wanted to make her life better; to rescue her from the horrors she grew up with; but there was nothing he could really do. She was only seventeen and he nineteen. Haru knew she loved him, but she had made up her mind when she was little. She'd remain a virgin until her wedding night. Haru would honor that.

"Haru?" A voice, Nikki's voice, cut through his concentration, followed by a loud bang on the front door of the apartment. A deep frown formed on his face, his eyes growing cold. He shut the water in the shower as knocking grew louder and more forceful. Haru pulled Nikki out of the shower and tossed her towel at her. Pulling on a pair of boxers that lay on the bathroom floor, he lead her out of the bathroom and made her stay behind the bed. The front door clattered to the floor as smoke filled the apartment. Nikki's eyes showed her fear as footsteps thundered into the main room of Apartment five B. Haru lunged for the gun he kept in the night table beside his bed, just as twelve of the men in black trench coats burst into the bedroom; their silver murder weapons all pointed at Haru's back. The young man turned, his blue eyes flashing as the leader shouted "Yuy. You're coming with us."

"No!" A piercing scream cut through the air in the room as Nikki drew the men's attentions. Suddenly a harsh sound ripped trough Haru, devastating him before he even saw the result. He turned to Nikki and watched as she dropped to the floor, her green eyes losing signs of life as blood spilled from the wound at her left shoulder. Haru's fingers released the gun he had been holding, as his legs buckled beneath him. The leader raised his gun once more, leveling it with the sobbing young man's head.

Sirens were heard approaching. The men handcuffed Haru and dragged him onto the fire escape. They disappeared just as the police entered the room.

"Ha… Haruko!" Nikki breathed as her eyes shut, and police and medics burst through the doorway, surrounding her fallen body. "My love."

* * *

**December 14 **

Dawn's light cut through the white curtains of the bedroom, falling gently on a sleeping figure, coving the curves of her body like a heavenly blanket. It's fingers seemed to pull her eyes open slowly. Ami yawned and blinked. She slowly remembered where she was, and she gently pulled the white silk sheets up over her bare chest with her free hand. Her other lay beside her, fingers intertwined with those of the young man who lay asleep beside her.

Ami's golden locks gathered around her head on the pillow like golden snakes. Her soft blue eyes were watery from where the sun had hit her. The young woman sucked on her bottom lip and smiled as she remembered her night with Tarak.

Suddenly he shifted and Ami turned to gaze into his brilliant green eyes. Before she knew it, he had pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed every inch of her face as if he couldn't find her lips.

Tarak felt his skin rub against hers. He loved her more than anything in the world. They had only known each other for five of her seventeen years, but nothing was stronger than their feelings for one another. His hand found it's way to the curve of her breast, making her giggle and then relax into his hold. He kissed her body as Ami ran her hands through his deep brown hair. He felt her body shudder in relief and he ran his palms along her skin.

If he wasn't supposed to finish school, he'd have married Ami right then and there. As it was, the eighteen year old had just spent the evening celebrating his engagement to her.

"Ami?"

"Yes my love?" she cooed. They both sat up and he poured them each a glass of red wine from the bottle they had left beside the bed the night before. She smiled and toasted him, giggling again. Before the wine made it past her lips, they were engaged in another series of passionate kisses. The glasses fell from their hands and they reached to touch each other, staining the pure white sheets. They tumbled from the bed and onto the floor, clinging to one another as if it were their last moments together.

Suddenly the phone rang. Tarak tried to ignore it but Ami insisted he answer.

"I have to shower before I go home," she explained, smiling. Her parents thought she had spent the night at Nikki's. She giggled and dragged the satin sheet up around her bare body. "I'll miss you," she said blowing a kiss and disappearing into the depths of the condo.

Tarak went to the phone and picked it up off the receiver as another hollow ring filled the room.

"Yes, this is Tarak Barton," he repeated into the phone. "What about my father? Why don't you get him?" The young man paused, his eyes going wide. "Or Die?" he repeated. "Fine. Goodbye." Tarak lowered the phone slowly onto the receiver as if the conversation had been completely normal. Suddenly his eyes flashed with fear as he hurriedly pulled on a pair of pants. He frantically searched the room for a piece of paper and a pen. A bullet shattered the glass on the window, ripping through the white curtains and grazing his arm. He winced, listening to the sound of the shower. He gave up his mad search for a pen and used the blood dripping from the wound in his arm. As a tear rolled down his cheek, he scribbled a bloody letter onto the silk pillow and fled the room, just as Ami came out of the bathroom, her skin and hair dripping. She dropped the towel she wore when she saw the blood on the floor and on the pillow. Tears were mixed with the red liquid; She watched the words as her own tears filled her eyes.

Ami

I have to go away.

I don't know when I'll be back

I love you

Ami watched the pillow, as if the words would change and her love would return through the wooden door. She waited all day, all afternoon, and all night, standing naked, facing the pillow, trying to convince herself that the bloody message wasn't true. But it was no use. When her parents came to retrieve her, Tarak still hadn't returned. Her mother touched her daughter's tear covered face with her hand, making Ami finally release her gaze on the pillow. Instead she looked down at her finger, running another over the gold band with the small diamond set in the center.

* * *

**Year: After colony 232**

**November 10 **

**Location: Colony cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

Nikki ran her gloved hand down her face in exhaustion as she stepped off of the bus into the bright sunlight. There hadn't been a day since Haru was taken that she didn't feel tired, as if weighted down, like life was moving in slow motion. _Face it! You knew that it was the danger of falling for the son of one of the famed Gundam pilots._

"Nikki! Earth to Nikki! Come in Nikki!"

"Huh? What? Oh, Ami! Hey!" she said, forcing a weak smile onto her face. That was why she had come. She was meeting Ami to spend the day together. Ami linked her arm with that of her friend and laid her head on Nikki's shoulder, as they walked down the busy, icy streets, bundled in heavy coats.

"You're thinking about him again?" Ami asked quietly.

"Is there ever a time when I'm not?" Nikki snapped, looking down and seeing hurt in Ami's eyes. After all, her friend was going through the same thing. Nikki just sighed; why should she apologize? Ami sat up and released Nikki's arm.

"It's been almost a year."

"I know."

"It was so horrible."

"I know."

"It was brutal."

"I know."

"You were hurt."

"I know! Damn it, Ami! I know! Leave it the hell alone."

Ami fell silent. It was a sensitive topic for both of them, but Ami wanted to talk about it. Nikki did not. Ami hated and was saddened by the thought of spending Christmas without the one she loved. Nikki's heart seemed to have frozen over so much that she didn't feel anything anymore.

"You're cold." Ami whispered, breaking the silence. She refused to meet Nikki's eyes; instead she smiled and nodded toward the people they passed, out on the streets doing Christmas shopping, knowing Thanksgiving was right around the corner.

"That would be the problem of living on the colonies." Nikki replied, keeping her eyes focused in front of her as they walked. "They try to mimic the weather on Earth around this time of year. What they don't realize is that it isn't freezing everywhere." She frowned and kicked a peace of ice with her foot. "Let's get some hot chocolate?"

Ami smiled and nodded, leading the way down a side street to their favorite café. They walked inside, listening to the small ringing of the bell. A few minutes later that sat in a booth near the back, their coats and winter attire beside them, blowing on their drinks. They laughed and smiled, genuinely enjoying each other's company, listening to the bell that announced the entrance and departure of the costumers.

The bell rang, and Nikki took a moment to look up to look for their waitress as she raised her mug to her lips. Her eyes searched the café, gliding over all the patrons, stopping slowly to rest on the figures in the doorway. Her jaw dropped open, and the mug crashed on the table as her fingers released the handle, hot chocolate spreading across the table and dripping on her lap. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to catch her breath and dislodge herself from within the confines of the booth. She managed to pull herself free, her feet intertwining with the legs of the table. She sobbed as she ran to the doorway and through herself at the man who entered, wrapping her arms around his middle and sinking to her knees, sobbing hysterically; Ami no more than a second behind her.

Haru, his face battered, barely recognizable to one who didn't know him, stooped down and placed his hand beneath her chin. He met her lips with his. Tarak just stared at his fiancé, unable to breath, not having expecting to see her there. He licked his lips and attempted to talk, only to have Ami's finger pressed against her own and then feeling the warmth of her soul spread into his as she kissed him long and deep.

The bell rang again behind them, an older man entering the room café, his deep violet eyes frowning as a long braid hung down his back. Two other young men and a boy stood behind him, each grinning from ear to ear as they watched their comrades embrace those they loved.

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There you have it. The first complete chapter of A Crimson Christmas. It was going to be two chapters, but I decided to give you all a bit more than originally planned. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, especially the two whom this story is dedicated. Anyway, it would make me very very happy if you would click on the little button next to "submitt review". 


	3. Mistaken

WOOT for quick updates. You know… it's funny. You write something for someone… And they DON'T READ IT! Oh well, there loss, my gain! Well no one gains. Anyway, I've slaved away, ignored my college homework, put off studying for tests, because you know, when an idea pops into your head, you just have to go with it. You have to just let the creative juices fly and don't let anything interrupt you flow. And besides, procrastinating is fun, though not always a good thing.

((IMPORTANT)) Ok, just so you all know (This is a very important note) I don't like chronological order very much. No I haven't got anything against writing the beginning, middle, and then end in that order, I just like to spice things up every once and a while. So what I'm saying is, please pay attention to the date given at the start of each section. Sometimes I'll jump backwards in time and sometimes I jump forwards, only to come back later on. If you skip the date and location information, I guarantee that you shall be one very confused reader. **((IMPORTANT))**

On that note, I leave you to go and work on chapter 4 or perhaps another story, while you go on and read. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. And… And… I proof read this time so hopefully I caught a majority of the mistakes.

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Year: After colony 232

November 10

Early Morning

Location: Colony cluster L5; Colony 46FJX8

Hauruko Yuy sat amongst his comrades at a small diner of the hotel outside the main entry onto the colony. His face was scared from the harsh fighting he had been involved in for the past year. He looked to all of the other worn faces of his friends. Those that had stood with him in the last battle. Those that survived. He stifled a laugh as he observed them. Well, it didn't exactly surprise him. They were all similar to him. One he had known for a majority of his life. The others; well, they were raised just as he had been. They knew the ins and outs of an MS. They had been taught from birth, just as he had been. Who knew there were more of them? Who knew that other than Haru and Tarak Barton, there were other sons of Gundam pilots. Who knew in deed?

Their faces told stories of the past year. Trevet Maxwell. The eighteen year old son of Duo Maxwell, pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe. He had his father's eyes, but his short blond hair could only belong to his mother, a trait he shared with his younger sister. Trevet's laugh was intoxicating and highly contagious. Haru watched as the younger man leaned back in his chair, propping his legs up on the table, only to receive dirty looks from the waitresses. He blew them kisses, winking at them. Haru wondered which of the young women would be sharing the young pilot's bed that night. Trev laughed at a joke one of the other's had told and Haru saw the happy young man hidden behind the rough exterior of a hardened fighter. Did they all look like that now? Rough. Older. Cold. Haru shook his head and turned his attention to another of their number.

Twenty one year old Yul Chang. Son of the Gundam pilot 05. He was the quiet one. He had a hard exterior. He always had. It didn't come from the fighting they had all faced. No. It came from his family. His father and mother. Wufei Chang and Relena Peacecraft. He had the ability to almost disappear. It frightened Haru sometimes, that one man can be so much like another. While Haru knew very little about his own father, the man not being one to tell much, Haru knew plenty about the other pilots, and could see that Yul was almost his father's exact twin, except for the fact that his eyes were his mother's. Haru met his eyes and got a small smile from Yul. _So maybe he isn't exactly his father._

The last member of the group, besides Tarak and himself, was Ayman Winner. The son youngest son of Quatre Winner, pilot of the Gundam Sandrock, and the person who had suffered the most. Ten year old Ayman was the youngest member of the group, and if not for his last name, no one could tell the boy was even the off spring of 04. Ayman was born out of a one night stand. His father had thought he was in love after the death of his first wife, the mother of his other three sons; but after making love to Ayman's mother, she deserted him, only to leave Ayman on his doorstep nine months later. Ayman was extraordinarily intelligent. Haru watched him. Deprived of a normal childhood, Ayman had been forced to grow up that year. Why couldn't one of his older half brother's take his place? Simple. They didn't want to. None of them really seemed to care. Haru rested his hand on Ayman's shoulder and gave the boy a small smile. Ayman smiled back, knowing that even if the other's didn't accept him as a pilot, Haru and Tarak did.

Tarak tapped Haru's shoulder, knocking him from his trance when their commander appeared in the hotel diner and walked over to them, his long braid swinging behind him. Duo Maxwell look tired and worn. He had left his family to do this. "Did you all eat enough?" Duo asked them, a grin on his face. The years since the destruction of Deathscythe hadn't seemed to effect his spirit.

They all nodded in unison. "Then you are excused." He said, a bit of sadness in his eyes when he met Haru's and Tarak's. He knew they were mad at him. They stood up with the other three and pushed their chairs in, letting them scrape against the floor as they glared at 02.

"Tarak… Haruko… wait!" He called after them as they wandered out into the streets of the colony.

Haru turned around for a second, glaring at him as if he wished to stop his heart. He was the one who had taken him from his apartment after shooting Nikki. He had shot her. And Haru didn't know whether she was alive or not. Why? Why? So he could put the five of them, his own son and even Ayman, through a year of torture. All for what? _"Training!"_ Haru recalled his words as they stood on the fields of what they thought was a real battle. Gazing around at the dead bodies of their fallen comrades and enemies. The enemies they had willingly killed, under the impression that they were the real enemies. Not knowing that they were just innocents. Innocents that Duo had paid to fight the sons of the gundam pilots and their "allies". The allies who turned out to be paid as well. And none of them would get their money. No. Why? Because they were all dead. Dead at the hands of Haru and the other's. "Weak." He said to Duo. "Pathetically Weak."

Duo hung his head as he watched the two boys leave the diner. He turned to the other three who watched him. They had come willingly. No threats necessary.

"We'd better follow them." Trevet suggested, getting a nod from Yul, and Ayman jumped up instantly to fetch their coats from the hotel rooms upstairs.

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 10

Late Night

Location: Colony cluster L5; Colony 46FJX8

Ayman sat beside Yul on a soft couch in front of the room's fire place. Trevet had locked him out of the room they shared yet again. Duo paced back and forth in front of the fire, as if he was waiting for something. Haru and Tarak had managed to get their commander's permission to disappear for the evening. Ayman smirk. _Permission?_ _Hardly likely. _But they were supposed to be back by now, and Trev was definitely going to hear it from his father for kicking Ayman out once again, as well as being very very late for the meeting.

The ten year old brown haired, brown eyed boy yawned. He was the only one that knew what the meeting was about. He was the only one who could possibly have skipped the meeting, and yet, aside from Yul, Ayman was the only one present. He laid back on the soft cushions of the sofa.

"Oi! Baka! Don't fall asleep!" Yul commanded, smacking the younger boy's leg. He yawned a bit himself. "See! Now you've got me doing it!"

The door creaked open and Trevet stumbled in wearing nothing but a pair of boxer's and a lop-sided grin. He ran a hand through his blond hair and covered his mouth with the other as he let loose his own yawn.

"Wonderful evening, isn't it?" he asked with a laugh as he pushed Ayman off the couch and took the now empty seat. Ayman rolled his eyes, sat up and glared at the older pilot. "Wanna make something of it, kid?" Trev mocked, knowing that Ayman would never try and take him down. Duo turned his attention to his son.

"You're late."

"So are Yuy and Barton." Trev pointed out, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He matched Shinigami's stare with his own. "Relax. They'll be here. You said so yourself. They're too much like their fathers."

"I know. That's why I'm curious as to why Tarak isn't here and why I even expected Haruko to return."

"Because you don't know us like you think you do." Haru said from where he stood in the door frame. Tarak leaned against the edge, his ankles crossed and his arms folded over his chest. For a moment Duo could have sworn it was Trowa, not his son. The ex-pilot shook his head.

"It's about time."

"Sorry we're late." Tarak said, trying to be polite as possible as he walked past his commander to sit in one of the arm chairs. He ruffled Ayman's hair as he passed. Duo waited for Haruko to do the same.

"We're waiting for you." He said, raising his eyebrows as if he were addressing a child.

"Hn" Haru muttered as he walked past Duo, glaring at him. The young man reminded him so much of 01. _You've always been too soft. And now you're even softer. _Duo shuddered. No. It wasn't possible. It couldn't… could it. Duo placed his hand on his waist, touching the gun that always sat in his holster. The gun that had nearly been his end, a year ago. Before this started. Before Duo knew exactly what lay ahead of him. He ran his hand along it's curves.

"Dad!"

02 looked up to see Trev staring at him, Tarak and Ayman looking on with concern, Yul expressionless, and Haru seated with his leg of the arm of his chair looking as if he could have cared less if Duo had just jumped out the window.

"Right. The reason you are all on this mission?"

"Yeah."

"That would be we're all waiting for." Haru spat. Tarak elbowed him in the gut. "I mean, yeah."

Duo rolled his eyes. So much like Heero. "As the off spring of 01-05 you have been chosen as the only people who may possess any skills required for the mission that you all have been asked, or forced in some cases, to undertake. Due to the lack of a need for the MS, the colonies' regular pilots lack the necessary training for such a dangerous trip. You however, were born and raised with the power to take on just about anything, just as your fathers were."

"What do you know about my father!" Haru snapped.

"Plenty, Yuy!" Duo snapped back, his braid flying behind him. "I know he raised you better than that."

"Hrmph!" Haru folded his arms over his chest and looked back up at the ceiling.

"As I was saying. You will all have a week to get your affairs in order now that we are back in the colonies. On November 17th you go on a rescue mission."

"Us?" Trevet spat, looking at his father with interest. "What about you?"

"Do I look like I'm fit to pilot a Mobile Suit anymore? Let alone an Mobile Suit made of Gundanium?" Duo's eyes flashed in anger.

"You're more fit that Ayman." Yul suggested, keeping his voice calm and collected.

"Don't you think I know that!" Ayman said, jumping to his feet, his eyes welling in tears. "Don't you think I wish one of my brother's had come in my place? Don't you think I know that commander Maxwell doesn't think I can handle this? I know he wants to go in my place. He wants to but he can't! No one but us can rescue my father!" The youth breathed out slowly, his anger with the older boys had grown so much during the meeting that he couldn't even suppress it anymore. He was even mad at Haru and Tarak. They had been acting selfish all day. Ever since they saw those girls at the café that afternoon. "I'm sorry." he stammered, meeting Duo's eyes. "I didn't mean to lose my temper."

"So 04 has been captured?" Tarak asked, looking up at Duo. The man nodded, and laid a calming hand on Ayman's shoulder.

"Yes."

"And you want us to rescue him?" It was Yul's turn to question.

"Why don't you and the other pilot's do it? I mean you've been on rescue missions before." Haru suggested, still looking unflustered, even after Ayman's display.

"If I knew where they all were, I'm sure they would help. Unfortunately, 03 and 05 are both currently in the hospital due to injuries from a minor mission, and there are only certain people who know the where a bouts of 01, so unless one of those people wishes to speak, I'm afraid you all are 04's only hope." Duo said, gazing at Haru meaningfully. The young man spat on the floor in front of him, a sign that he would never tell 02 where his father was unless directly told to by Heero himself.

"But again. You want US to rescue him?" This time it was Trevet's turn. Ayman glared at him. "You've got to be kidding. Yeah, you trained us for a year, Dad. But that's all it was. A year. You've been training for much longer. If we went on a mission like that, we'd be killed."

Yul nodded. "It's suicide."

Ayman had had enough of their bellyaching. Was he the only one willing to do this ? "What? Are you all chicken? Don't think you handle an itty bitty mission of rescuing an ex-gundam pilot?"

Trevet stood up and grabbed Ayman by the collar of his shirt. "Just who do you think you're calling chicken?" He had Ayman braced against the wall.

"Put him down, Maxwell!" Haru's voice cut through the air like a knife.

"You gonna make me, Yuy?"

"That's enough! All of you!" Duo's voice instantly became commanding. His eyes flashed with anger. Shinigami looked down on all of them. "Now are you going to do this or not?"

"Do we have a choice?" Tarak asked sarcastically.

Duo looked as his feet, his hand again retreating to his gun. _If they don't, I'll have to kill them myself_.

"Didn't think so." Tarak added, standing up and stretching. "All right then boys. You heard the commander. We've got one week, and I for one would like to use some of it to catch up on a little sleep." The boys all moved to follow him, an air of lightness returning to the room.

"I thought you needed that little blond girl for that, Tarak," Yul teased as they left the room, each headed back to the rooms granted to them, Yul sharing with Haru and Tarak, and Ayman sharing with Trevet.

"Yeah, Tarak. She was kinda cute. Does she have any sisters? Single friends?" Trev's voice cut through. "I'm not picky."

"Don't forget Yuy's girl."

"Oh yeah! We'd you pick that babe up, Haru?"

"None of your business, Maxwell."

"Are you guys talking about girls?"

"You'll understand when you're older, Ayman. I promise. For now, just ignore them."

Duo shook his head. _And if they had refused, could you have shot them?_ He stared at his feet, letting his hand slide over the surface of the gun. _You couldn't have done it!_

You've always been too soft. And now you're even softer. Duo pulled the gun out of the holster and examined it. He gulped as he turned it and looked at the base of the handle. Clearly inscribed on the silver metal were two numeric symbols: 01.

* * *

OOOOO…. Creepy! LOL! There are so many interesting ways to add twists to the story. I'm sure that chapter has the reels in your mind going. Exactly who are they rescuing Quatre from? What type of mission caused Trowa and Wufei to become incapacitated? Where is Heero? And why does Duo's gun say 01? Grins well now, wouldn't you all like to know? skips around singing I've got a secret! Oh well, keep checking back for future chapters… you never know when I might just answer one of those questions. 


	4. Mission Accepted

* * *

This story is really coming together, and so, instead of rambling on and on and knowing how bored you probably will be if I do, I leave you to go ahead and read. And I apologize for any stress I may cause.

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 17

Early Morning

Location: Colony cluster L5; Colony 46FJX8

"I'm coming with you!" Ami told him defiantly. Tarak sat with her on bench in the part the morning he had to leave. He shook his head and looked into her tear filled blue eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her lips.

"No. It's too dangerous."

"You mean it's too dangerous for a woman?"

"Of course that's what he means." Trevet came up behind them and stuck his head over Tarak's shoulder. The green eyed young man kept his face straight, but suddenly swung his hand back and hit Trevet square in the nose with his fist.

"Ow! Barton! What was that for?"

"If you need to ask, Maxwell, you're even more of a Baka than Haru believes."

Trevet rolled his eyes and threw a bag at him. It was Tarak's duffle bag. "Da… I mean, Commander Maxwell's waiting. We're leaving." His face became serious as he talked. He sighed. "Time's up Barton." He shook his head and turned to Ami, nodding in acknowledgement that she was there. "It was nice meeting you, Ami. You and Nikki take care, alright?"

Ami smiled. Over the week she had gotten to know Trevet, Yul, and Ayman. She liked them all, just as she knew that Tarak did, despite how he might act. She nodded.

"We will, Trev. And you too," she said as she and Tarak stood and gave one another a passionate kiss goodbye. She released his hand and stepped toward Trevet. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Take care of Tarak and Haru for me? And come back alive?"

Trevet blushed. "I will." He croaked as he watched her walk down the path out of the park, on her way to her first class of the week. "She's really something, Tarak."

"Yeah." He glanced over at Trevet. "Just remember that she's already someone's something."

"Yeah! Yeah." He paused a moment, thinking. "Are you absolutely positive she hasn't got a twin sister?" He asked following Trevet out of the park, in the opposite direction ami had gone in.

"Baka!"

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 7

Midnight

Location: Colony cluster L7; Military Training Base

Yul Chang stood with his hands by side, his eyes focused on the ground hundreds of feet below him. The ground at feet of his gundam was littered with pieces of MSs and MDs, and human beings; missles and rockets lay both whole and in pieces, mixed in with blood and flesh. The grass was covered in blood stains; a sheet of dark red broken up by small patches of green.

The wind blew through his hair making him look up. Ayman's gundam had moved until it was directly in front of Yul's. The hatch opened slowly, making a bridge with Yul's. As the smoke caused by an earlier fire withing the MS cleared, Yul could make out the outlining shape of a small boy. Ayman stumbled forward into the sunlight, blinking his eyes slowly and coughing as the smoke entered his lungs. His clothing was scorched, as was his skin. His face was streaked with soot, and there was a bloody gash on his face. He leaned against the edge of the entrance way and slid down until he could sit, his knees pulled against his chest. He turned his weary face toward Yul who watched him, a look of worry on the older pilots face. Ayman gave him a weak smile.

"Alright there Winner?" Yul called across the gap.

The small boy coughed. "Hanging in there. You?"

"Could be better."

"Oi! You two alive up there?"

"Yeah, Maxwell! But I don't think Winner can get down alone."

"I can too."

"Are you sure, Ayman?" Duo called from the ground, worry in his eyes. Ayman lay down on his stomach and peaked his head out over the edge of the gundam's hatch. He glared at his commander. Trevet and Tarak stood with him. But where was Haru? Oh well. Haru was a big boy. He could take care of himself.

"YES I'M SURE! Who is the one that took down twelve Mobile Dolls in one shot? Who is the one that put out a fire in a Mobile Suit while managing to keep from being killed by enemies? WHO?"

"Alright, Winner. We get the picture." Trevet said, shaking his head and looking at Tarak. "See, he doesn't need help. Now, we've still got one more to find, better get started."

"Don't bother." Haru said, hopping down from on top of a pile of MDs. His hair was matted to his forehead, and his left cheek was bleeding. He limped on his right leg, the left one seemed to have been twisted and mangled. However, he looked no worse than the other four, who all sported wounds of their own. Only one seemed unharmed. He wasn't even sweating. Haru studied their commander.

"We're the only ones that made it?" he asked 02. Duo nodded, studying the battle field. The man placed his hands in his pockets. _So Shinigami, you still live up to your name… yet you use innocent boys to do it?_ That voice. It was the same that came from the gun. Why did it always speak to him when Haru was near? Or better still, when he was thinking about Haruko.

"You mean no one else lived?" Tarak said, his mouth lined from blood. It seemed he had been knocked in the jaw at some point during the fighting.

"Yes."

"What now?" Ayman asked as he finally managed to climb down from the cockpit. He even been Yul down. Duo smiled out him. His secret keeper. The boy had brought the crisis to his attention. He hadn't betrayed him, and thus Duo wouldn't betray him. He would never tell the other boys that Ayman knew. No. He would not feed the lamb to the wolves with his own hands.

"We get ready."

"For what?" Yul asked, standing directly in front of Duo. His face was battered and bruised. "We won, didn't we?" He pointed toward the "base" they had "captured."

"A party," Trevet joked, coughing up a bit of blood. He sank to the ground and leaned back against the leg of a MS. He closed his eyes. "But can we make it tomorrow? My head is pounding."

Duo shook his head. "I've got to tell you boys something." _You can't tell them. You're too weak._

_

* * *

_

Year: After colony 232

November 18

Early Morning

Location: Colony cluster L5; Colony 46FJX8

"AMI!" Nikki screamed from the living room of their apartment! "Oi! You lazy… AMI! Lets go!" She stood at the front door, her hands crossed over her chest, a pout on her face. Haru had been gone not even a day and while he wouldn't tell her exactly where he was going or what he was doing, she was sure he would not be in the safest place imaginable. No. Haruko Yuy go somewhere where it was safe? That would have been like his father being unable to accept a mission involving danger. She needed to stay busy in order not to think about her beloved. "Ami! If you don't get out here right now, I'm gonna.."

"Alright! Alright! Keep your pants on!" Ami said as she came down the hall, pulling on a pair of jeans with one hand; her hair and makeup already done. All that was left was to slide her feet into her shoes and grab a piece of toast as it came flying out of the toaster.

"You torment me on purpose, don't you?" Nikki asked as she handed her friend her coat. She had been ready for the past fifteen minutes, and she didn't put it past her blond friend to have woken up less than fifteen minutes before. Ami grinned from the behind the toast she held in her mouth as she nodded and pulled her arms through the sleeves. She accepted her bag from Nikki and threw it over her shoulder with one hand, removing the toast from her mouth with the other.

"Yeah. Other than Tarak, that's the only reason I live," she chuckled, seeing Nikki roll her eyes slightly. "I don't see why you always wait on me. I mean you have two legs and a mind. Ok, well, you have to legs."

"Ha ha! Very funny. Can we go now?" Ami nodded and led the way out of the apartment and down to the busy street below.

"It's so fuckin cold," Nikki complained rubbing her gloved hands together. She looked up at the dome above them and sighed as she saw a rocket go shooting past. Haru could have been on that one. "What?"

"I said 'when ever you really miss Haru, you complain about the cold' and I'm sure I'm right considering the fact that you totally missed what I said a second time!"

"Did you say something."

"Point. Set. Match. He's gonne be fine, just relax. He's got a good group of men with him."

"Correction. He's got two men, a boy, and Trevet with him."

Ami shook her head. She understood why Nikki was worried, but at that moment the guys didn't need them to be worried, and Ami knew something Nikki should be more worried about at the moment.

"So did you study for the history exam?"

Nikki glared at her. Ami looked down at her feet. _Obviously that was a no._ She looked back out in front of them as they approached the main area of campus. In other words… hell after high school, aka college classes. Ami sighed when she walked into the main area: A grassey field surrounded by buildings. No way to escape.

"Nikki! Ami! What took you so long?" A girl with long curly brown hair and lavender eyes called out. She was grinning from ear to ear as she came towards the pair. A smaller girl, the same age, with short pale brown hair and grey eyes followed her, a smile equally big on her face.

"What do you think, Bren?" Nikki asked her friend. Bren just laughed.

"How late did you over sleep this morning Ami," Kat piped up, giggling. Ami flushed red gave her friend a mock death glare. She poked Kat in the ribs. "Ouch!"

"Not too late."

"Late enough."

"I said you could go without me."

Bren and Kat rolled their eyes as the roommates continued to argue back and forth. "Hey Kat."

"Hey what."

"This sounds like two girls who are tense because they forgot to study for their history exam." Bren laughed.

"Yep. Glad we don't have to take it," Kat snickered, hugging Nikki around the shoulders. Nikki peered at her from under one raised brow.

"You know, if you'd like to take it for me, I could easily arrange that."

"Could not."

"No… she probably could." Ami said with a smile as they walked. "And if she failed, I'd be happy to resume the mission."

The girls began to laugh hysterically as they walked to their class. Ami yawning as they went. A small sound in the bushes caught Kat's ear. She turned and saw a man standing across the street watching them through bright blue eyes. _Haru? No!_ He was much older than Haru, but the resemblance was there. However, before she could place him, he disappeared behind a car that passed by. Kat shook her head.

The sound a walkie talkie reached her ears as she looked around for him.  
"Hee-o! He-ro! Com- in! Do y-o copy?"

* * *

Oh yes! Hehehe! And the amazing twists just keep coming. What next? Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do next. All I know is that I'm having a whole lot of fun coming up with ways to make you all think, as well as make myself think. I keep posing all these questions, and I have only a small idea of how to answer them. Anyway. I hope you enjoyed that, and don't forget to hit "submit review"!


	5. Why must I?

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You can all thank the amazing Pegasusacc for making me put this chapter up so fast, but due to the fact that I haven't even started working on the 6th chapter, you're all going to have a little while to wait for that one to come out. In the mean time, I hope you all enjoy the fifth chapter.

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 19

Dusk

Location: Earth

The late afternoon sun turned the sky a brilliant lavender as the young men sat on the battlefield. They'd left on the mission only a day and a half before, and all around them were the marks of a long and difficult battle.

Trevet yawned. He was, tired, irritable, and pissed. They had only one lead. One small lead, and it had been a dead end. "Fuck it!" He whispered as he sat there, surrounded by his four comrades. They all looked beat and petulant. He closed his eyes and stood up, walking across the battle field. A memory, buried a long nine years before resurfaced as his eyes scanned the bead bodies He tried to shake it away, but stubborn memories are born of stubborn people. He let it sit, but ignored it's pleas to be relived. Instead he focused on the squashed lead.

The pilots had been told that the man who kidnapped Quatre had been hiding in the mansion that once stood behind him. All that was left of the great estate was pieces of ruble, and the dead bodies of the family who lived there. Though they weren't exactly innocent. No. They had hid the culprit and the hostage. But they had left recently. Very recently. Unfortunately, the people who knew where they had gone had committed suicide rather than confess the wear a bouts of the criminal. Trevet shook his head as he walked. He couldn't understand suicide and he hated seeing all that death. It just brought back terrible memories. "Only fitting for the son of Shinigami," he laughed. He couldn't understand why he felt the need to laugh when death was near by. _I guess it hurts less that way._ He was lost in thoughts when a cough reached his ear. The blond pilot looked around for the source. _Where? _Where? Where was the living person.

There! A young teen's chest rose up and down. He was alive; barely; but alive. Trevet ran to and knelt beside the teen. "Where? Where did they go?"

"I- I couldn't tell you, sir" the boy managed to get out. He was not much older than Ayman, maybe thirteen or so. His pale green eyes helpless, his pale skin loosing color. Trevet lifted him into his arms. "I'm Todd. I- I was just a servant boy for the Morginians. W-when the battle started, they m-made me fight. I- I wanted to run away."

"Shhh…. Don't talk." Trevet told him, a tear running down his face.

"I o-only worked there because my mom needed money. My sister is sick and we need money for an operation." The boy put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a few hundred dollars. He pressed them into Trevet's hand. "Please, sir. That's the last of it. Tell my mother I loved her and Sara. Please give her the money for me." Todd gulped as his eyes began to shut. Trevet watched in horror as the life slowly began to drain from the boy's body. And then, his hand slid off of the pilot's, and his eyes closed. Todd drew his last breath. Trevet couldn't hold his tears back any longer. He sobbed, rocking back and forth, hugging Todd's empty body to his chest.

Slowly, the sun sank over the horizon, the battlefield growing dark. But Trevet didn't leave. He sat there, holding Todd, wondering how many more would die because of him. He wished he didn't have to do this. He wanted to back out of the mission. It wasn't that bad. Sure if they quit then 04 might not have much hope, but it wasn't like his father's time. Millions of lives weren't at stake. He could back out, if he wanted. _And face Ayman calling you chicken?_ Ok, so maybe he couldn't.

As the mood rose into the sky, Trevet dug a shallow pit. He laid Todd's body in it, noticing how quickly it had gone cold. Tears still pouring down his face, he buried the teen, and picked a piece of a MD that lay near by. He carefully took out his belt knife and etched the boy's name into the metal. Then he set it at the top of the grave. As he walked away, he glanced at the money in his hand and then back over his shoulder. Trevet vowed to find the boy's mother and give her the money and her son's message. It was the very least he could do.

Trevet walked back to the place the pilots had made their camp. His face solemn, his eyes dried of tears. But his heart still ached for the life of such a young person.

"Where've you been, Maxwell?" Haru asked from his seat by the fire they had started. Tarak sat beside him. The two had been in deep conversation about the green eyed pilot's wedding.

Trevet didn't even look at him. "Making a promise." He walked into the tent he would share with Ayman for the night and found the boy seated there, cleaning his guns. Trevet sat beside him and watched him for a few moments.

"Something wrong, Trev?" Ayman asked, his brown eyes so lively and inquisitive. His hair swept down into his eyes a bit.

Suddenly Trevet pulled him into a massive hug, resting his chin on the boy's head. "Just be careful out there, ok?"

"Um… sure."

* * *

Year: After colony 223

April 14

Midday

Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 14JDW62

A blond boy walked into one of the garages his father owned, two little girls behind him. The first was one year his younger. The other was seven years younger than he was. The ten year old turned the light on, leading his little sisters into the room. The nine year old had the same violet eyes blond hair as he did. The three year old clung to a teddy bear, her gray eyes searching the room, her brown hair braided behind her.

"WOW!" she breathed, looking up and shaking a bit in awe and a little fear.

"How did you know this was here, Trev?" The blond girl eyed her older sibling. Trevet smiled at her.

"I followed Dad here last week, Maddy." Maddian Maxwell rolled her eyes.

"Big robot!"

"It's not a robot, Hilde. It's a Mobile Suit." Trevet told the three year old, named after his father's first love. The woman had died a year before the birth of the little girl. "And I'm gonna drive it."

"You are not, Trevet Maxwell. Dad'll skin you alive if he catches you."

"Well then he better not catch me, understand Maddy?" Trevet threatened. His sister glared at him but nodded. "Now stand back. Wouldn't want you girls to get hurt." He smirked and climbed up the ladder to the cockpit. The boy observed the controls; he smiled in joy and climbed in, pulling a helmet that lay on the seat over his head. He looked around at the controls. "This doesn't look to hard. He pushed one of the buttons, and heard Hilde scream. The eyes of the Gundanium MS had lit up. Maddian placed her hands on Hilde's shoulders.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Maddian called up to him.

"Of course I do." Trevet called back, looking at all the controls. He bit his lip. "Alright. Here goes." He pulled a lever. Everything else that followed was like a nightmare. The MS started up and began to move. The more Trevet tried to control it the more it got out of control. He heard his sisters' screams faintly above the sounds of the MS destroying the garage. Finally, after about 15 minutes of horror, Trevet managed to stop the machine, breathing very hard he stuck his head out and then, not seeing anyone, slid down to the ground. "Maddy? Hilde?" he called. A few pieces of wood against the far wall shifted and Maddian climbed out, covered in dust and coughing. Suddenly the door burst open. Duo came running in, having seen the garage start to crumble.

"TREVET! MADDIAN!" He screamed, hugging them. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Dad." Trevet said, not meeting his father's eyes.

"I'm ok, too, daddy, but I think I twisted my ankle." Maddian said.

Duo hugged them both to him again. "Where's Hilde?" Both of his older children looked away. Suddenly they heard a small whimper from the corner. They all ran to where the sound came from. The small brown teddy bear that lay on the dust and ruble covered floor was stained with blood. Duo lifted a metal beam, and lifted the girl out from under it and the rest of the wreckage. Her body was very limp, and her eyes were closed, but her hand twitched slightly and her chest rose and fell as she struggled to breath. Bloody gashes ran across her head and chest, from where the falling metal had hit her. She twisted her face around to peer at the man who held her gently.

"D-daddy?"

"Shhhh…. Please, Hilde. Don't talk. Rest. Maddy! Run! Get the hospital!" Maddian nodded and took off at her father's command. Trevet stood behind Duo, staring at his own feet. He looked up after a moment and watched Hilde. She struggled to cling to her life. Duo knelt on the floor, sobbing and rocking her back and fourth. Just as Maddian returned, their mother and the medics behind her, Hilde looked at him and pointed to the MS. "Don't use that, Trev. It's dangerous. Someone could get hurt." Then she drew her last breath and shut her eyes.

Trevet watched his parents and Maddian cry, but for some reason, he couldn't. He felt nothing. Nothing but fear, terror, and power. He knew at that moment that Hilde's was only the first life he would take. From that moment on, he wanted to live his life for him. He knew if he didn't, he would just end up hurt, just like his father and he couldn't allow that, he just couldn't.

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 22

3:00 AM

Location: Colony cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89

Bren lay face down in a plush blue pillow; her eyes were shut, but she wasn't asleep. Who could sleep with three friends like Nikki, Kat, and Ami. They all sat on her bed in their PJs hitting her with pillows.

"Let me sleep!" she pleaded with them, kicking her feet and pounding the bed with her hands, like a child throwing a tantrum, except there was laughter in her voice.

"Come on, Bren. It's only 3:00 in the morning," Kat said, laughing. Bren sat straight up in bed, throwing a death glare at her. Kat shrieked and jumped behind Nikki as a pillow hit the spot she had just occupied. "What do you mean 'ONLY 3:00 in the morning'?"

Kat poked her head out and stuck her tongue out at Bren.

"Oh, real mature, Kat." Ami indicated, laughing.

"And what's the big idea with hiding behind me?" Nikki asked, looking at Bren and giving a quick smile so Kat couldn't see.

"I don't know; seemed like a good idea."

"Well, it wasn't." Nikki said, ducking as a pillow sailed over her head and struck the short-haired eighteen year old in the face.

"HEY!"

Bren just smiled innocently, not realizing Ami was behind her until she was struck on the back of her head with another pillow. They all collapsed laughing as Bren attempted to grab Ami but got tangled in the bed sheets instead.

"Alright! Alright! I'm up. What did you want to do anyway?" Bren asked as they began to calm down and climbed back into positions on the king size bed.

"What else would we do?" Kat asked, mockingly.

"Yeah. It's a Frida… um, Saturday morning," Ami corrected herself getting a laugh from everyone.

Nikki nodded. "Movies. Plain and simple."

"You only agree with them because you don't want to have to think about Haru." Bren pointed out, hugging Nikki around the shoulders.

"So?" He friend said glaring. _Subject of Haruko, bad bad bad idea!_

Bren just shook her head and smiled. "Just turn on the T.V."

Kat obeyed, picking up the remote and turning it on. Ami got up and went to the DVD player.

"Everyone ready?" Ami asked as she moved to put the movie in.

"Wait a sec," Nikki said, watching the screen which displayed some late night/early morning breaking news. "Quick! Turn it up."

"… and we're standing by on the once beautiful front lawn of the Morginians' estates, where there seems to have been some sort of battle," the woman on the screen told the viewers as the camera scanned across the grounds. The four young women gasped in horror as they saw bits and pieces of MSs and MDs as well as human bodies. "The people who live on the surrounding lands are glad that the tyranny of the Morginians has finally been ended, and they would like to thank their five saviors, who apparently arrived out of the blue in five Gundanium Mobile Suits. Who knows? Have the legendary Gundam pilots come back to once again try to achieve total peace?" Nikki and Ami frowned at the screen. It couldn't have been the boys, could it? The camera was once again scrolling over the wreckage of estate. It zoomed in on a mound of dirt. A woman knelt beside it crying, a small girl nestling her face in the woman's shoulder. The reporter approached them. "Mrs. Evegao, is there anything you would like to say?" The woman sat up and whipped her eyes on the sleeves of her coat. She nodded and took the offered microphone from the reporter.

"I would like to thank whoever gave my son a proper burial. He was only a little boy, so thank you, who ever you are." She handed the microphone back to the reporter and once again knelt over the grave of her child.

"It's definitely a sight to see here at the Morginians' estate. This has been Mona Leben reportin…" Ami put the DVD in the player, cutting off the reporters farewell. She gave Nikki a small smile, a reassuring one, as she sat down with her friends to watch the DVD.

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 22

3:00 AM

Location: ?

A man with bleach blond hair sat tied to a chair in a dark room. His eyes focused on the muted television screen as tears poured from his eyes. He watched as a reporter handed the microphone to a woman. Reading the woman's lips, he guessed she was thanking someone for burying the person she had been weeping for. As the reporter wrapped up her interview, the camera zoomed in on the grave marker: A piece of an MD labeled with the name "TODD".

The man gulped and tried to hold back his tears.

"Do try to get a hold of yourself 04," a voice said from the shadows.

"How could you have let this happen?" The blond man called back to him. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why, 04? Why am I doing this?" the voice said laughing; it was an evil laugh. "Because I want my revenge. My revenge on you and the other pilots, and what better way to do so then to get at your offspring."

"But your own son?"

"I have no son, Quatre. No son at all!"

* * *

And the plot thickens. Grins! Ok, I have a question for you all, who do you think Quatre's kidnapper is? Go on, just guess, it will make for some amusement for me and possible persuade me to update faster. Who knows, maybe the question will even been answered. And what ever happened to Duo's family after the death of his daughter? Why is Ayman the only one of Quatre's sons willing to come to his aid? Will Trevet be able to give Todd's mom the money in time to save Sara? Hmmm… maybe you all deserve some answers. Ok, anyway, I've decided to do something for everyone every sixth chapter. In your review to the 5, 10, etc, chapters, feel free to ask any questions that may be confusing you. If I can answer them without revealing the plot, I will at the end of the 6, 11, etc chapters. TTFN everyone.


	6. Dead End

* * *

Ok, Ok. I want to get on with the chapter as much as you all do, so I'm gonna stop my stupid rambling and go on with the chapter. Happy reading!

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 23

1:00 P.M.

Location: Colony cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89

"So what now?" Ayman asked, sitting on his knees and leaning over the back of his seat. Trevet sat beside him, head phones blaring. His sudden kindness toward the boy had disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. Tarak looked up to meet his eyes. Haru was asleep beside him, and across the isle, Yul was staring out the shuttle window into the deep void of space. Tarak shrugged.

"Dunno. I guess we have no choice but to go back to Commander Maxwell. Maybe he has another lead for us."

Ayman frowned but nodded assent. "Yeah. I guess." He punched the back of this seat in frustration. "Where did Haru put the gundams?" he asked switching topics in order to prevent himself from thinking about his father. The boy turned and glanced out his window, seeing that they had almost reached the colony. Tarak just shook his head.

"Not a clue. But I'm sure they're well hidden."

"Do you doubt it?" Haru asked, waking from his sleep as the shuttle pulled into the terminal of the colony. Tarak smiled.

"Not in a million years." He pulled his bags down from the overhead compartment, as well as passing Ayman's bags to him. Then he followed the other four out into the terminal. He waited as the rest debated getting a taxi. He honestly didn't care. He leaned against the wall, his bags beside him as they discussed. He shut his eyes, slowly drifting into a dreamless sleep. He felt a tug on his jacket. Opening his eyes, he peered at Ayman. "What?"

"We're gonna walk, ok?" Trevet called. Tarak sighed and nodded. He picked up his bags and slung them over his shoulder. They began walking towards the hotel. As they were walking a figure in black caught the corner of Tarak's eye, and then almost instantaneously disappeared into the crowd of holiday shoppers and others.

"I'll catch up to you guys. There's something I have to do," Tarak told them, and without waiting for an answer, he too disappeared into the population. He found the figure within minutes and followed him, moving just as fast as the figure did. They weaved in and out of people, getting strange looks, but no one seemed bothered by it. Finally, they turned down a dark and deserted alley. Tarak stood at the entrance, gazing around the dead end, trying to find the figure.

"I know you're here." Tarak called out into the darkness. Behind him a rat overturned a trash can, causing the young man to jump. He settled his nerves and peered around again. "What is it that you want from me?"

Suddenly, the figure landed directly in front of him after jumping from his hiding place on a fire escape ten feet above. The figure's cloak settled around him as he landed in a crouched position. He stood up slowly, his face hidden by a dark hood.

"You knew I'd follow?" Tarak asked with a smile on his face. The figure nodded slowly. "And you have information?" Again the figure nodded. "Why not just tell Commander Maxwell yourself?" Tarak questioned. The figure shook his head and slowly began to pull back his cloak hood.

"Because it would be difficult to explain to him how I received such information." The man pulled his hood back completely, meeting the younger man's green eyes with his own equally green eyes. Tarak smiled up at his father as 03 nodded towards him.

"And how do you expect me to give him the information without him questioning me, Dad?"

"You're a bright boy, Tarak." Trowa stated. "I'm sure you can develop something." Tarak just shook his head and smiled slightly.

"Alright. Alright. You win. So what do you have for m, this time?"

"And here I thought you'd never ask."

"You've been spending too much time following Commander Maxwell, dad. You're beginning to talk like him."

Trowa just stared at his son. He shook his head, his face remaining emotionless. "04 was kidnapped by someone he trusted, someone close to him; and they're somewhere on the colonies."

"And that's all you can tell me?"

"For now, that's all I know. But I have to go now before they realize I'm gone." Trowa pulled his hood back on. He clapped his son on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself and Ami. I'm counting on you." And with that, he disappeared under his cloak, up the fire escape and out of the alley, leaving Tarak to figure out a way to get the information to Duo without having to say he got it from his dad.

* * *

Year: After Colony 226

December 2

11:00 am

Location: Colony cluster L3; Colony 83GKY02

"Can I come?"

"No."

"Come on, please?"

"No." Tarak pulled his coat on, wrapping a scarf around his neck. "I'm going ice skating and you can't go." The thirteen-year-old pulled hung his ice skates over his shoulder and glared at his younger sister. The ten-year-old stuck her tongue out at him.

"Why not?" The brown haired, blue eyed girl asked following him from his room to the front door.

"Because, Sari, you're just not old enough." He walked out the door, closing it harshly behind him and began to walk across the front yard towards the fence and the street.

"Where are you going, young man?" a voice sounded from the kitchen window, stopping the teen before he had even gone five feet. Tarak winced as his mother's voice went through him. A blond woman with bright blue eyes came out towards him. He hair blew in the wind, and she shuddered a bit in the cold. But making sure her son was well dressed was more important.

"Mom, I'm fine."

She sighed in exasperation, but consented. "Very well; Have fun." Midii told him, hugging him around the shoulder. Tarak smiled at her and took off at a run. He kicked a bucket accidentally as he went, turning back and blushing at his clumsiness. "I swear Tarak, you look almost exactly like your father, but you're no where near as quiet."

Tarak just smiled. He should probably leave before she got any more sentimental. After all, dad had gone missing again. Tarak and Sari knew that their mother knew exactly where he had gone, but they also knew she wouldn't tell. "Bye mom!" he called back as he ran to the fence and jumped over it.

When he got to the other side, he slowed to a walk, judging he was safe from his mother and sister. He sighed and looked around, watching his breath for clouds in the cold winter of the colonies.

Suddenly, a biker sped in front of him, knocking him to the ground. The girl skidded in the snow and jumped off, running to him. He short blond hair hung down in her blue eyes as she stooped beside him. "I- I'm so sorry. You see, I was on my way to see a friend, and I wasn't thinking. Please, forgive me."

Tarak didn't look at her as he stood up and dusted off his pants, making sure all the snow flakes were no longer there. "Yeah, yeah. Just watch where you're goi-" Tarak said slowly looking up and meeting her eyes with his own. He had never seen anyone like her before.

"Is everything ok?" she asked, wondering why he was looking at her funny. "I mean you didn't break anything?"

"No. I mean, no I'm fine, thanks."

The girl wrinkled her nose and smiled. "Ok then. She held her hand out for him to shake. It was covered in a bright red mitten. In fact she was dressed in all bright pinks, reds, and purples, contrasting his forest greens, grays, and navy blues. "I'm Ami," she told him, her cheeks as pink as her hat.  
"Tarak," he replied simply, holding her hand in his.

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 24

3:00 pm

Location: Colony cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89

"Can I come?"

"No."

"Come on. Please?"

Whoa! Déjà vu! Tarak blinked back from his memory and stared into Trevet's violet eyes. The eighteen year old stood in front of him pouting, making the best puppy dog eyes he could.

"No."

"But she likes me."

"The definition of like is relative." Tarak informed him as he closed the door to their hotel room behind him. He began walking down the path toward town, well aware that Trevet was watching him, pouting from the window, trying to get Tarak to change his mind. The younger man was tired of sitting around with Yul and Ayman doing nothing in a colony where they didn't know anyone. Trevet turned around and sat down in a chair. His only hope for something interesting to do was gone. He knew it would have been useless to try and tag along with Haruko. He looked up at Yul and Ayman, and sighed as loud as he could.

"What do you want, Maxwell?" Yul said, glancing up from the paper he was reading.

"I want to do something." Trevet responded and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm going out for a walk. You're welcome to come, Trev." Ayman said pulling on his coat. Trevet looked about to refuse but then he saw that Yul had no intention of being entertainment. He sighed and went out with Ayman.

Tarak grinned and shook his head as he noticed Trevet leave with Ayman, headed in the opposite direction. He picked up his pace. As he passed an intersection, he noticed someone walking up the street on his left. He paused and waited for Haru to catch up to him.

"Going to see Ami?" Haru asked, rubbing his hands together as they walked to keep warm. Tarak nodded.

"Yeah, and Trevet begged to come."

Haru laughed a bit. "He did the same to me."

"Then I take it you're off to see Nikki?" Tarak asked, hands in his pockets. "Have anything special planned?"

Haru just grinned. He tossed a small black box up into the air and let it fall back down into his fingers. "Yep," he smiled as they stopped outside a building.

Tarak patted him on the back and smiled. "Well, good luck." Haru nodded and waved before starting off in his own direction. Tarak smiled and shook his head. He went into the apartment building, which was situated only a few blocks from the local college. He got on the elevator, and took it to the third floor. He took out his keys and unlocked the door. He laid his jacket on the couch, to show he was there, and went to the bedroom on the left. Tarak gently knocked on the door.

"Come in." a voice from inside reached his ear. He opened the door to find Ami standing beside a window wearing only a blue sheet from the bed. Tarak smiled and closed the door with one hand, taking his shoes off with the other, and moving his first hand to turn the lock.

* * *

Year: After colony 232

November 25

Location: ?

"What did we do to you?" Quatre was arguing with his captor once again, always about the same topic: the man's revenge. The captor stood beyond the lights touch.

No answer returned.

"I'm serious. We haven't done anything to you."

Still, no answer.

"Don't you see you've made a mistake."

Silence.

"You're one of us."

Quatre could hear footsteps approach him from the surrounding darkness. His captor stopped just outside the circle of light surrounding him. Quatre could see his feet.

"Don't ever classify me with you four." The man's voice hissed, making Quatre cringe. The blond man looked down at his own feet.

"But why?"

"Because Quatre, I'm ashamed." he captor said stepping slowly into the light and looking down on the other man. Quatre jumped and looked into a mangled and scared face. 04 winced. He had known who his captor was, yet he hadn't seen his face. He was surprised and frightened by the mutilations on such a familiar face.

"Heero? What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." he said, stalking back into the darkness. Quatre heard the door close. He was once again alone with his thoughts.

* * *

And the plot thickens. Hehehe. I luff plot twists. Really I do. I just think that they're the best things in the entire world. I hope you all are in agreement and aren't planning to revolt against me? Anyway, I've already started chapter 7 and I'm liking the way it's beginning. So, please be sweet and review so I'll be motivated to finish it and post it for you all.


	7. Mission: Dominate

Ok, ok. It took a little longer than I had hopped for me to get this up, but unfortunately, that was because my computer has been malfunctioning all week. Forgive me. Anyway, this should please you. Go ahead and read.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 24**

**9:00 A.M.**

**Location: ?**

Two figures lay in two separate beds. The snow white linens were common throughout the building. The figures stirred as the sun came into the room. Each man woke slowly as the sun hit their faces, pretending to be in pain in case someone they didn't expect was in the room. Seeing the coast was clear, the man in the left bed rolled over to his side to peer at his companion in the bed beside him. Trowa lay on his back, his green eyes focused on the ceiling. He didn't realize that the black haired, black eyed man on his left was watching him until his voice sounded in Trowa's ears.

"You cut it a little close getting back last night. Are you sure we should continue this?"

Trowa nodded. "They need all the help they can get, Wufei."

"And just how will you help them if we get caught? It's hard enough to get information for ourselves as it is."

"I know. But we just have to risk it. We haven't given them enough information," Trowa argued. "We need to find out what exactly is going on. If we stopp-"

"What?"

"They're coming." Trowa said simply, rolling over to appear in pain. Two doctors entered the room. One had dark skin with white hair and a snake tattoo on his lower arm. His gray eyes searched the room. His companion had pale white skin and solid black hair, with the same tattoo.

"They're no better than yesterday." The white haired doctor said. He held a vial of red liquid in his hand as he moved beside Trowa's bed and gazed down at the man who twisted his face in agony.

"Did you expect them to be? At least they're kept incapacitated without much assistance from us." The black haired one answered, smirking from his position near Wufei's bed. "Open your mouth, Chang," he commanded. The Chinese man looked up at him almost in defiance, but did as he was told. The doctor poured the liquid from his own vial into the patient's mouth, while the first doctor did the same to Trowa. Both patients closed their mouths and swallowed. Their eyes began to drift closed and they entered deep sleeps, their pains ceased.

"They're asleep, Monte?" The black haired doctor asked. Monte nodded. "Very well, shall we go see patient number three?" Again Monte nodded.

"How long does the General want us to keep this up, Jamison?" Monte asked the black haired doctor as they walked toward the far end of the hospital room. A door at the end led into an enclosure no larger than a broom closet. Jamison looked at him and ran a hand through his black hair.

"Not sure, but he's ready to make his presence official."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see tonight. Just know that after this, the colonies will know its war, and when we win, and we will win, they'll have a new King. And with their heroes missing, and their only hopes pre-occupied, they will be very easy pray for the General. Monte just nodded, smiling evilly, and unlocked the door, as Jamison pulled a whip out of his lab coat pocket.

Trowa and Wufei opened their eyes, spitting the liquid into the cups beside their beds and then tossing them out the open window as they heard the first stifled screams of pain from inside the closed room at the end of the hall.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 23**

**11:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

Ami lay in her bed, her cloths on the chair beside it. Tarak was in the bathroom; she could hear him. She sighed and closed her eyes, as the simple sound of the bathroom door opening reached her ears. She felt the bed move as he climbed into it beside her. She rolled onto her side, snuggling into his hold. She felt her bare back touch his bare torso and smiled. She turned her head toward him and he kissed her eyes and lips.

"You know I love you, right?"

She nodded. "Mmhum. Tell me again."

Tarak smiled, his green eyes watching the curves of her face as she sat there. "I love you."

She grinned. "Again."

"I love you I love you I love you."

She giggled and rolled over again. "Tell me a different way."

He grinned and closed his eyes, kissing her deeply and romantically. The next moment their bodies were intertwined in mad passion. The heat of the moment surrounded them. Love was more than just a word to them. It was a very real thing. Tarak felt her hands along his back. He cupped her breasts in his hands, beneath the blanks. "I love you." He whispered to her, sinking deeper into the passion.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 24**

**3:00 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

Duo sat at a desk, the pale desk lamp illuminating the left side of his face as he stared at Tarak. How? How did the young man know? He wasn't telling the whole truth, this Duo knew, but he also knew that Tarak wouldn't tell, not if he didn't want to, but he trusted him. If he was younger and Tarak had been Trowa, then Duo probably would have pestered him to know the answer. But Tarak wasn't Trowa, and Duo was full grown. He just focused his violet eyes on the young pilot. His soldier.

"Commander Maxwell?"

Duo shook his head to snap himself out of the trance. His braid flapped around behind him. "You're sure this is what you heard? There's no doubt that these "gentlemen" weren't talking about someone else?"

"No, sir. They were talking about 04, I have no doubt." Tarak said, hoping Duo wouldn't see through his lie. He watched the older man, seeing almost no sign of the Duo Maxwell his father had told him about. Behind violet perfection was a serious man, well worn from years of fighting in a cruel war and then working as a preventer. Tarak saw how tired he was. How sick and tired he was of having to be one of the people to fix things. Tarak knew he was harder, older, coarser, then he had been the year before, but he hated the thought that he might one day be like his father and the other gundam pilots, whole on the outside, but hollow within. Tarak diverted his eyes.

Duo smiled, for a moment, his youthful personality re-appearing. "Go on. You've earned a bit of relaxation. I'll see what we can do with this information. Thanks, Tarak."

The green eyed man nodded, keeping his face expressionless. Duo could have sworn he saw Trowa looking back at him, but knew it was only a trick of his mind. He watched the young man leave the room before he turned back to face his desk and the computer that sat on it. He turned off the desk lamp and let the blue light from the computer screen caress his worn face. He ran his hands over his face and placed his hand on the mouse. The white arrow on the computer screen moved to the bottom of the screen and opened an IM conversation window.

Duo began to type.

_**Deathscythe2: It seems that he was telling the truth.**_

_**DJ: It seems he was.**_

_**Deathscythe2: What should we do now?**_

_**DJ: You already know who the predator is?**_

_**Deathscythe2: Yes, I remember what you told me. But what does that have to do with this?**_

_**DJ: You want to protect him, don't you?**_

_**Deathscythe2: Yes. But I want to protect the prey as well.**_

_**DJ: What do you think will happen if the boys discover the truth before you can get the predator away from the prey? Do you still think you can do it? Especially when they have help from an outside force that you don't know of?**_

_**Deathscythe2: I don't know. But I have to try.**_

_**Deathscythe2 signed off at 3:19:22 AM**_

Duo shut the computer monitor off, leaving himself in total darkness.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 23**

**10:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; 46FJX89**

"Trevet! You Baka! Get your lazy ass out here right now or we're leaving without you!"

Haru called into the depths of the hotel room. "Ayman, are you sure you're gonna be alright here?"

The brown haired boy nodded. "Go. I'm not interested in that type of stuff." He smiled. "Anyway, I'm gonna help Commander Maxwell track down 04. I mean we shouldn't all be off having fun at the same time. Some of us should do some work."

Yul frowned at him as he pulled on his overcoat. "Don't worry. When you come back, I can go out and you can do all the work." The ten year old added grinning.

Trevet swaggered into the room, his hair messed and his shirt unbuttoned.

"Remind me again why I'm going," he commanded as he began to button his shirt.

"Because, Maxwell, you're always complaining about being bored, and there are girls involved." Yul finished making sure his overcoat was secure, knowing how cold it really was.

"That, and Nikki made me promise to bring him," Haru amended. Trevet, whose face had perked up at the world "girls" rolled his eyes.

"Can't help it that the ladies find me attractive."

"Not for her, Baka! She thinks you'd be perfect for a friend of ours."

"Good luck. This man doesn't belong to just one woman," Trevet said pulling his coat on and following his friends onto the street. Haru hailed a taxi and ten minutes later, they found themselves in front of the theater. Haru paid the driver and scanned the crowd.

"You got the tickets, Haru?" Yul asked, his hands in his pockets as they went into the lobby and checked their coats. He straightened his dark gray tie which went well with his pale gray shirt and black pants. Haru nodded, keeping his bright sapphire eyes on the crowds of people. He wore a pair of dark khaki pants, a black turtle neck, and a brown sports coat. The older man looked at Trevet, who watched all the women in the lobby with longing. Haru shook his head. He would learn. Trevet had managed to get his dark blond hair to sit in such a way that it made his violet eyes stand out. He wore a pair of grey pants and a pale blue dress shirt, as well as a black sports jacket.

A familiar face caught Haru's eye and a moment later her was sprinting toward the woman he hadn't seen in a week. Nikki was dressed in a dark green evening dress with no sleeves. She had a dark green shawl over her shoulders. Her two companions were each dressed similarly. Kat's dress was red with black straps and a black waist line; and Bren's was a dark violet with crystals studs around the neck line and short gloves to match the dress.

Yul followed Haru and Trevet tagged along, trying to pick his jaw up off the floor.

Before words were spoken, Haru took Nikki in his arms and kissed her entire face before his lips made it to hers. Yul, Trevet, Bren, and Kat, looked on, rolling their eyes.

"You should get a room," Bren said sarcastically, a sweet smile on her face. The couple sprung apart immediately, blushing.

"S-sorry," Nikki stammered.

"No harm done," Kat said grinning and clapping Nikki's shoulder. "Just tell me which one of these fine gentlemen is my date and you can go back to making out. I'll even pay for the room."

"Easily pleased, aren't you Kat?" Haru joked, hugging the girl around the shoulders.

"Sometimes," she responded, flashing him a smile.

"Alright. Alright," Nikki cut in. "Kat, may I introduce, Mr. Yul Chang." Yul nodded to her, his face emotionless, so Kat couldn't see what he was thinking. Kat just smiled and took the arm he offered her.

Nikki turned to wait for Bren to finish her conversation with Haru about MDs. She tapped her foot lightly on the floor, slowly increasing the volume to get Bren's attention. Bren finally realized what Nikki was doing. She turned a violent shade of Crimson.

"My fault."

Nikki shook her head laughing. "Yep. But that's ok. Bren, I'd like you to meet Trevet Maxwell." Trevet, hearing his name, snapped back to reality from a state in which he had been staring at Bren, his jaw nearly dragging the ground. He came forward and kissed her hand. Bren just watched him as he came over, gave her a hasty smile, running his hand through his hair.

"Not bad," she said, a slight frown on her face. She had been watching him from the distance while Kat and Nikki had been checking their coats. She had seen him staring at every woman that passed by. She shivered lightly. "It's a bit chilly in here. Why don't we go get our seats?" She didn't wait for him to answer, but just began to walk to the door. Trevet followed immediately, not even thinking. Yul and Kat followed, in what seemed to be an interesting conversation. Nikki and Haru brought up the end of their group. She gave him a questioning look, which he just shrugged to in response. She accepted it and laid her head on his shoulder.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 25**

**1:00 A.M.**

**Location: ?**

Reds, oranges, and yellows from the explosions on the television screen illuminated the small room, highlighting Quatre's features and Heero's mangled face. They watched the battle. An MD fired a missile at an MS and moments later it shattered into millions of pieces; fire rained down on the colony below. Quatre's eyes shifted to the bottom of the screen. A line gave the date, colony cluster 1, colony 42MRP91, and the word LIVE. Suddenly the feed went to snow. As the screen cleared, a dark figure appeared, no more than a silhouette.

"People of the colonies, this is just the beginning. Surrender to your new king or watch this keep happening." Quatre turned to look at Heero. He cringed as he saw the evil grin highlighted on 01's face. The screen blacked out for a second and Quatre couldn't see anything. Then the battle between the enemy and the colony, that was losing badly, appeared back on the screen. A tear trickled down Quatre's face.

"Your revenge?" he asked his captor.

Heero shook his head. "Better."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 25**

**2:00 A.M.**

**Location: ?**

Duo slammed his fists down on the counsel. Lights flickered all around him. His body shook in violent rage. He pressed a botton and the world went silent. The lights went out as if in the one moment he had exhaled, he had put out all the light in the universe. He leaned back in his chair, shrouded in darkness. He closed his eyes, and then opened them. He gazed out in front of him, seeing a dead man.

"DAMN IT! WHO ARE YOU AND WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THIS!" he shouted. He grinned, remembering Shinigami who still lived somewhere inside him. "WHEN I FIND YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU NEVER MESSED WITH SHINIGAMI," he added, grinning evily, his youth alive in him, as a computer screen flickered on. 02 gazed into the eyes of the most unlikely person.

* * *

**Year: After colony 232**

**November 24**

**9:00 A.M.**

**Location: ?**

A man sat in a small room as the door began to close and the two doctors were once again away from him for the day. He knew who lay beyond the door yet it was impossible to contact them. He sat naked except for a pair of black boxers on the cold stone floor of his small prison. His hand were shackled to the ceiling and the chain had been lowered just enough to let him sit. His blood pooled around him, leaking from the lashes and wounds all over his body. His eyes were closed and his head lay forward on his chest. He stopped breathing as his mind came out of a trance. He coughed up blood and began to breathe slowly once again. The pain he had staved off flooded his mind and he passed out. The only sound was his slow steady breathing, and the dripping of blood from his body onto the stone floor.

* * *

So, what did you all think of that? Hmm? Who is the mystery villain? Who is Duo talking to? Where are Trowa and Wufei? Who is patient number three and why is he being treated like that? Who is DJ? Some many questions, so very little time to answer. In fact, no time at all. Oh well, you'll just have to wait until chapter 8. Anyway, this author has major Chem. 101 and Genetics studying to do, so I'm gonna go and try to be a good little college student and get that done. But do me a favor, click the little button that says "submit review" and I shall be very happy. 


	8. War

Hey everyone, Not much to say, except I'm really proud of this chapter. Please read and enjoy! This chapter is dedicated to Pegasusacc for her help in coming up with names for the Gundam you'll see in this chapter and the other's that will appear in future chapters. If you like the name, give her a shout.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**December 25**

**Morning**

**Location: ?**

He shook violently, His hand clasping the control of Gundam Andros. Another jolt from a missile and he would crash. His cranked his boosters and flew straight toward an MD, the green glow of the Andros' sword shining on his face as he glared. Anger emitted from his body, and within moments the MD was destroyed. Suddenly his gundam's arms couldn't move. He tried desperately to turn, to see what had him. He shifted the controls and Andros kicked backward, dislodging the MS from it's back. It turned to face the enemy MS. His screen picked up a transmittance from the suit. A dark man with gray eyes sat there grinning at him, a cut on his head bleeding. The man was having trouble breathing.

"You killed them all. They said you were powerful. Those that fought your kind before." The man told him. He watched the blood trickling down his face. "But... they never... never said you were this powerful." He could see the man was dieing. He watching his every mood. The MS moved closer, but he didn't shoot it down. He was mesmerized by the man, listening to his last words. The man raised his arm, revealing a snake tattoo. "It... it wasn't supposed to end this way. I was supposed to have glory. But... but... but if I have to die, then I'm taking you with me."

The MS exploded, and he was knocked back, his head slammed against the back of his seat and he could feel blood trickling down the back of his neck. He opened his eyes and saw the twinkling of stars; they glowed bright in his eyes. Andros' thrusters were gone. It's ability to fly stolen and it plummeted to the colony below, landing on a trash platform on the outside. The glare of the stars was blinding him, but he didn't care. His eyes slowly began to close.

"Ironic... the one time I forget to wear a helmet, I get my skull cracked open." He reached his hand behind his head, and drawing it forward again, he admired the red that coated his entire hand.

"I'm s-sorry I didn't get to say goodbye.... Forgive me."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 226**

**July 14**

**11:50 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L1; Colony 75GTY71**

A fourteen year old boy sat beside the window. A late night summer storm progressed beyond the pane of glass. He reached his hand up and touched the glass, watching the rain drops that covered the other side. The room was silent, and the lights were off. It was near midnight. One light was on in the house. It came from the crack in the doorway of his father's office. His mother was dead: killed by a murderer two years before. The boy's father had caught him and now the man was dead himself. His older brother lay asleep upstairs. He didn't care. They didn't get along very well. After all, the other boy was five years older than he was. He blinked his blue eyes. A lightning bolt illuminated the sky. The boy began to count the seconds between it and the crack of thunder in a whisper.

"1... 2... 3... 4..." The house vibrated and the power went out.

"Damn it." A voice reached his ears. His father's. A candle flickered on in the office and the man opened the door. His own blue eyes appeared bright in the quivering light, his brown hair was messed. He walked out into the living room. Another flash of lightning and the lights turned back on. He turned swiftly, and despite his facial expression, he was surprised to see his son on the couch beside the window.

"What are you doing awake, Haruko?" He asked, his voice steady. Haru turned and glared at him. He didn't love his father. He resented the fact that he was alive when his mother was dead, but he still respected the man. He knew everything he possibly could about Heero Yuy, which wasn't much since the man rarely spoke to him. Renyu was the one his father paid attention to, not Haru. The boy shrugged. Heero nodded. "You miss her?" He looked out the window as well. Two years ago that night. On a stormy night like this one, his wife had been murdered because she was in the way of a bullet aimed at his heart. Had he loved her? Yes. Did he love his sons? Yes. Did he miss her as much as they did? Maybe.

Haru nodded. "Don't stay up too late." Heero said, attempting to be the perfect father. Haru shook his head. It didn't suit his father. He wasn't the father type. No. He was only the perfect soldier. Nothing more as far as Haru could see.

"I won't."

Heero nodded and walked toward the stairs. His foot touched the first step as the doorbell rang. Heero looked at Haru. The boy was as bewildered as he was, but Haru rose to answer the door, just as the house shook from the thunder again. Heero nodded, his hand on a silver gun at his side, and Haru turned the doorknob. He opened the door wide to find a twelve year old girl standing on the doorstep. Her white night gown clung to her body, soaked, and it had slipped from one shoulder, leaving it bare. Parts of it were stained with blood. Her drenched brown hair hung over her shoulders. Tears mixed in with the rain drops ran down her face. She had a black eye. Shards of glass were in her arms, back, and the back of her skull. A cut on her forehead added blood to the stream on her face. She fell forward into Haru the moment he opened the door, and began sobbing uncontrollably. He held her, bringing her inside as Heero turned the light on and went to the phone. He began dialing child services as Haru rocked Nikki gently back and fourth, trying to calm her, promising to take her away from her hell.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 26**

**12:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

Tarak held her hand as they walked down the side walk of the park. Yul and Kat were behind them in deep conversation. The two had really hit it off, as friends, to Kat's disappointment. Yul seemed to have no interest in her beyond that and it was driving Kat nuts. He also thought her weak. He had told Tarak so just the other night. What a surprise considering who his father was; Tarak shook his head. He knew Kat would teach him a thing or two about a woman's weakness.

"What's wrong?" Ami asked. She gazed up at him smiling. She was determined to spend the day happily despite the fact that the boys were leaving again. She reached up and touched his face, memorizing it.

"Nothing. Just a bit worried about Trevet, that's all."

"What do you mean?"

Tarak pointed toward the lake. Trevet was walking on his knees, pleading to the young woman in front of him. She shook her head, obviously denying him once more. Ami laughed. "I wonder what he did this time." She said as they walked under a tree.

"It's an amazing feat that Bren hasn't killed him yet." Haru said hanging backwards from the tree. Nikki sat on the limb, her back leaned against the trunk, her eyes closed, and her legs stradeling the branch. She cracked one eye and looked at her fiancé and then at Trevet and Bren.

"I told you they were perfect for each other." Haru sat up and gave her a "you're insane" look. She shook her head. "She's refusing him. He's obviously head over heals for her, and like you said, she hasn't killed him."

"Come again?" Ami said, gazing up at her friend.

"Give them time," Nikki said. "He'll become so focused on winning her, that he'll forget the other women, the one thing she doesn't like about him."

Ami frowned. "How come Bren told you that."

"How come I told her what?" Bren said, drapping her arms over Ami's shoulders and smiling. Trevet was still on the ground behind her.

"N-nothing. Um... Bren... I think someone wants your attention."

"I know." Bren said smiling evily. She looked at him. "Will you just get up? It's kinda sad, you know."

"Will you go out with me?" Trevet begged, his violet eyes pooling with fake tears, his lips forming a pout.

"No."

"But..." Bren ignored him and went to find Kat. "Damn."

"What's wrong, Trev?" Haru asked, being nice to the younger man, for once. He was in too good a mood and he sort of felt bad for Trevet.

"I just don't get it. I can't get her to pay attention to me."

"Did you ever think for a minute that she wasn't interested in the type of boy chases every girl he sees?" Tarak asked. He hand his hands draped over Ami's shoulders as Bren had, and he was kissing the back of her neck. She was trying her best not to giggle.

"You think?" Trevet asked leaning against the tree trunk. Haru had returned to an upright position and was tickling Nikki's neck with a leaf, making her squirm. She almost fell out of the tree, but he reached out and grabbed her, pulling him towards her without making the slightest hint that he had been nervous. She looked at him and he gave her a small smile. She turned back to Trevet.

"Why not give it a shot. I mean paying attention to only her?" Nikki suggested.

"It couldn't hurt, right Trev?" Ami added. "I wouldn't want Tarak if he were giving attention to every pretty girl that passed by." Tarak nodded.

"No, as long as they aren't pretty, she doesn't care if I look." He joked, getting elbowed in the stomach and then kissed on the lips. Nikki raised her eyebrows.

"Interesting combination of actions, Ami."

"But I like her second one." Haru said, pulling Nikki back to him. He kissed her lips deeply, still managing to keep them in the tree.

"I DON'T NEED THIS!" Well, they were in the tree until Kat's voice cut through the air. Haru jumped down, pulling Nikki with him; Ami and Tarak sprang apart, and then the five of them ran toward the bench where Kat and Yul had been talking. Yul was on the ground, a bruise on his elbow from the fall. Bren knelt beside him, having watched the whole thing. Kat was no where to be seen.

"What happened?" Nikki asked.

"He... well, he told her that she should address him as sir if they dated." Bren said, as Nikki and Ami glared at him.

"What?" Yul said, rubbing his elbow and standing up. Haru smacked his forehead, Tarak shook his head, and Trevet keeled over laughing.

"Yul, does your mother call your father 'sir'?" Haru asked.

"Not in a million years. But mother is a different type of woman. Not a normal one."

"You're lucky all she did was push you to the ground," Nikki told him. Bren nodded.

"I'm gonna go find her. She's probably really upset." Bren said, shaking her head.

"I'll go with you." Bren turned, surprised. She blinked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Alright, Trev. You can come." He smiled and followed her in same direction they had seen Kat head off in.

Yul had stood up and was brushing himself off. "You think?"

Ami nodded, rolling her eyes. "DUH!"

Yul shook his head. "No. I know I'm right. And if she can't except the terms, then I just won't date her." He walked off. Nikki and Ami wanted to kill him, but Haru and Tarak held them back.

"Forget them." Tarak told them.

"Today is about you." Haru added. He took Nikki in his arms and kissed her, making her relax and forget about Yul and Kat, and Trevet and Bren. They were big girls, they could work it out.

Tarak nodded, hugging Ami. "What about me?" she protested against the hug.

"Huh?" Tarak asked confused, unsure what she was referring too. Ami tapped her foot on the ground and pointed at the passionate couple, her eyebrows raised.

"Oh." Tarak smiled, and scooped her into his arms, spun her around and deposited her on the ground, pressing his lips against hers.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 30**

**7:00 A.M.**

**Location: ?**

Trowa and Wufei sat on cold metal tables opposite each other, each wearing nothing but a hospital gown. Their "condition" was apparently no better, nor worse, than it had always been. Monte and Jamison stood against the wall, beside the main door. Suddenly the wooden door creaked open and a man wearing a medical face mask and a business suit entered. His hair was long and bright red. His green eyes were unnatural. They were slitted like a snakes, obviously contacts.

"How are they, Doctors?"

"As well as can be expected, sir" Monte said in a militaristic voice.

The General nodded. He would have been an intimidating man had he not been dealing with two former gundam pilots or been barely 5 foot 2 inches. He paced the room, stopping for a moment in front of 03, gripping his chin in his gloved hand. "You think they're ready?" He released Trowa, who kept his face straight.

"No, sir." Jamison began, scratching the tattoo on his arm. "I'd wait another month or so." The general nodded.

"Very well." He clapped his hands twice and a large man entered the room. "Take these useless colonial dogs back to their kennel."

Wufei nearly shot off the table to get at the small man, but Trowa shot him a look and the China man calmed himself before he was noticed, although he was still fuming at the comment. Wufei looked at Trowa, giving him a look that seemed to say "But I _want_ to kill him." Metally 03 answered that he understood but it wasn't a good idea. The large man proceeded to drag them off the tables and back to their room.

The General turned to the Doctors once again. "And patient three?"

"Alive." Monte stated clearly.

"Barely," Jamison grinned evily.

"Excellent. Plans are running smoothly. It won't be long now." The general answered and left the room. Monte followed, Jamison turning the light out as he was the last to flee.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 25 **

**11:45 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

Duo shook his head, trying to make sense of the conversation he had early that morning. He lay in his hotel bed, knowing that it didn't make any sense, that it was impossible, but he wanted to believe it more than anything in the world.

"_Duo?"_

"_But... but... you're dead."_

"_No. It was faked."_

"_Why? How? Where are you?"_

"_There's no time. I can't say. In fact I only have a minute, but Duo?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Don't give up on Heero."_

"_H-"_

"_Duo, I have to go. No! No please!"_

The feed had died after that, the screaming lingering in Duo's mind. He kept playing it over and over again in his mind. _Not dead? Don't give up on Heero?_ It didn't make any sense. He rolled over to see his computer screen light up. He gazed at the conversation window that had opened.

_**DJ: Listen Duo. I have information, and you need answers. Meet me in the Lobby of the hotel after the boys leave to get their gundams and fight. They're needed for the war Duo. You've got to find Quatre on your own. **_

**_DJ signed off at 11:29:15 PM_**

Duo rolled over and shut his eyes. "Yeah. Whatever," he whispered.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 27**

**5:45 AM**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

"So you leave today?" Bren asked as she sat with Trevet at the dinner in the hotel. Kat was still mad at Yul and had refused to come. Ami was probably "busy" in Tarak's room, and Nikki was off in the lobby with Haru again. She was beginning to feel cold and he wasn't there. Come to think of it, Nikki was always really sad and cold when Haru wasn't around, but she never said why. Bren knew she missed him, but Ami never got that way. Nikki was always weaker and scared when Haru wasn't around. Bren made a mental note to ask about it later.

Trevet nodded. "Yeah. Commander Maxwell wants us to give up our search for-"

"It's alright. You don't have to tell me what you were doing."

"Thanks. But he wants us to fight for the colonies."

"What about the first mission?"

"I dunno. Dad seems to think this is more important."

"Well, then. You had better be careful."

"Aww, Bren. I didn't know you cared." Trevet joked. He fluttered his eye lashes at her.

"I don't." She said, grinning evily. "But lets just say I did. I'd want to know that the man I cared about wasn't sleeping with every girl. I want him to come home a lonely solider."

Trevet blinked. Was she serious? He watched her. She wasn't smiling anymore. She was watching him. There it was. A proposition. If he came back alive and longing for her, he might actually get her. On one condition. He had to stay away from other women while he was away. The blond man ran a hand through his hair. He bit his bottom lip and then nodded. She smiled slightly.

"Well, good luck then." She touched his cheek flirtiously with her hand as she left the table, reminding him what would be waiting for him when he came back. She paused at the door and winked at him. She passed Ayman on the way out and ruffled the boys hair. "You be careful out there, alright?"

Ayman nodded and watched her go. He went to Trevet's table. "I like her. What were you talking about Trev?"

Trevet blinked and looked at Ayman. "An answer to my prayers."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**December 4**

**8:00 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

The Kat and Bren walked onto the campus a week after the boys had left. Kat was upset. She hated Yul, but she wanted him. More than anything, and her hate had kept her from saying goodbye. He was out there risking his life. Ami and Nikki joined them, both looking odd. Ami was green and Nikki had no color at all. Each day the big screens around the colony aired live footage of the battles. There was a new one each day; sometimes more. When the screens didn't show battles, they showed a list of the colonists lost the day before. Another day had gone by and The girls didn't see any names they recognized on the lists. They had survived, yet they had watched the five gundams fight and some points had looked very close.

The campus was practically deserted now. The girls knew they had skipped a few classes, and that the some of the students were at funerals for those they had lost. There was definitely a decrease in the amount of males present. Nikki walked as if she was in a trance. She paused every once in a while to watch the screen above the campus. She followed the battle, Haru's gundam always in her sight. The feed blacked and she stood staring.

"Hey, Nikki, Ami, Bren, Kat." Nikki snaped out of it and looked toward who had called her name. Ami threw her arm over Nikki's shoulder.

"Hey Murian." Bren said to a chinese looking girl with blue streaks in her black hair. She wore violet contacts.

"You're wondering why the school is deserted today aren't you?"

"Actually yes." Kat said. Murian handed her a flyer.

"They gave them out early this morning. I'm headed there myself. Maybe I'll see you there. Later, girls." Murian said and ran to catch up with her own group of friends. Kat looked down at the flyer.

**WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP THE COLONIES?**

**JOIN THE YOUTH SQUADRENTS!**

**Pilots needed! Training available! All welcome!**

They looked at each other. Bren sighed and took the flyer in her hand. "There's a shortage of soldiers to defend the colonies. That can't be good."

"We're not doing any good sitting around and moping, worrying about the boys all the time, are we?" Kat added. Ami shook her head. Nikki just listened.

"I think we should do it. I mean almost everyone else has," Ami added.

"And if everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you?" Nikki claimed. Ami glared at her.

"I'm not just gonna sit by and watch Tarak risk his life to protect me and the rest of us, when I could do something."

"You won't be doing him any good if you're dead!" Tears were streaming down both of their faces. Bren and Kat took them in their arms and let the girls cry.

"You're both right. You won't do them any good if you're not alive, but you can help them in their fight. We just won't lose. Alright?" Bren said.

Nikki and Ami looked at her and after a moment, they nodded. Both girls laughed weakly, hugging each other.

"See, everything is gonna be great." Kat said, coming between them and hugging them both over the shoulders. "Now where exactly do we go?

* * *

YAY me! Chapter 8 is the longest one by two typed pages! Go me! Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. Everything is coming together nicely. So go ahead and click the "submit review" button, cause this author is in a really good mood. She gets to see her lil sis tomorrow! YAY me! 


	9. Ladies, Gods, and Gundams

No long ramblings today! Nope! Just the longest chapter of the story so far! Enjoy! Read and Review! The only other bit of news is that the first section is a repost of the last section from chapter 8 cause I didn't like it.

**

* * *

Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 4**

**8:00 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

The Kat and Bren walked onto the campus a week after the boys had left. Kat was upset. She hated Yul, but she wanted him. More than anything, and her hate had kept her from saying goodbye. He was out there risking his life. Ami and Nikki joined them, both looking odd. Ami was green and Nikki had no color at all. Each day the big screens around the colony aired live footage of the battles. There was a new one each day; sometimes more. When the screens didn't show battles, they showed a list of the colonists lost the day before. Another day had gone by and the girls didn't see any names they recognized on the lists. They had survived, yet they had watched the five gundams fight and some points had looked very close.

The campus was practically deserted now. The girls knew they had skipped a few classes, and that the some of the students were at funerals for those they had lost. There was definitely a decrease in the amount of males present. Nikki walked as if she was in a trance. She paused every once in a while to watch the screen above the campus. She followed the battle, Haru's gundam always in her sight. The feed blacked and she stood staring.

"Hey, Nikki, Ami, Bren, Kat." Nikki snapped out of it and looked toward who had called her name. Ami threw her arm over Nikki's shoulder.

"Hey Murian." Bren said to a Chinese looking girl with blue streaks in her black hair. She wore violet contacts.

"You're wondering why the school is deserted today aren't you?"

"Actually yes." Kat said. Murian handed her a flyer.

"They gave them out early this morning. I'm headed there myself. Maybe I'll see you there. Later, girls." Murian said and ran to catch up with her own group of friends. Kat looked down at the flyer.

**WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP THE COLONIES?**

**JOIN THE YOUTH SQUADRENTS!**

**Pilots needed! Training available! All welcome!**

They looked at each other. Bren sighed and took the flyer in her hand. "There's a shortage of soldiers to defend the colonies. That can't be good."

"We're not doing any good sitting around and moping, worrying about the boys all the time, are we?" Kat added. Ami shook her head. Nikki just listened.

"I think we should do it. I mean almost everyone else has," Ami added.

"And if everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you?" Nikki claimed. Ami glared at her.

"I'm not just gonna sit by and watch Tarak risk his life to protect me and the rest of us, when I could do something."

"You won't be doing him any good if you're dead!"

"I won't be dead! And I won't lose. I want to help them!"

"How do you know? Death can come so easily!"

"I just do, alright! It's a little thing called faith."

"But you're just as worried as the rest of us that at any moment, the boys could be gone."

"So! So what! I can be scared and have faith at the same time!"

"Well it's hard to have faith in anything, sometimes. I mean, if you've come close to death twice, you can't really put faith in much." Tears were streaming down both of their faces.

"Twice?" Ami asked, blinking back tears spurred by the argument. "You were shot once."

"Yeah well, it was a long time ago. I really don't want to talk about it."

"But..."

"I don't want to talk about it Ami!"

"Stop it! Stop it now!" Kat screamed, frustrated by seeing her friends argue. It was a bit distressing, especially since all they had was each other.

"Calm down. You're both right. You won't do them any good if you're not alive, but you can help them in their fight. We just won't lose. Alright?" Bren said.

Nikki and Ami looked at her and after a moment, they nodded. The glanced at each other and shrugged. They were on such rocky footing with one another, but no one else understood what they were going through.

"See, everything is gonna be great." Kat said, coming between them and hugging them both over the shoulders. "Now where exactly do we go?"

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 25**

**2:00 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster 1; Battle field above Colony 42MRP91**

Duo drew back the arm of his MS. The next moment, he slammed it forward into the enemy. The MD shattered into pieces. Shinigami grinned. "That's what you get." He loaded another missile into his MS's fist and prepared for the next assault. "Who wants some more?" He said, as he lashed out at the nearest MS. Suddenly a monitor in his suit lit up. He looked at it. It was the pilot of the suit in front of him. Duo's mouth dropped open. The person looked so familiar. His body shook with rage. He knew it wasn't but the face haunted him as he watched.

"Hello Duo." The pilot said. "You're speechless, I see."

Duo stared at the screen. "But how? You're in the hospital."

"Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not." Green eyes watched him.

"Trowa?" Duo blinked. He didn't understand this. His enemy grinned and the MS flew straight towards 02. Duo dodged a head on blow, but the enemy managed to nail his suit in the shoulder. Duo was knocked back; he heard a pop in his neck from the jolt. He shook his head.

"You're not Trowa. You can't be." But the proof was staring him straight in the face, an evil grin on its twisted face.

"And why not? Is there a rule saying I can't have found something better to fight for? Come on, Duo. Admit it. If you found something better, you'd jump at the chance."

"No. I wouldn't just betray my friends," Duo remarked back, dodging Trowa's next attack. The green eyed pilot fired a missile at him. Duo dodged and it struck an MD.

"In that case, why aren't you fighting back? Has Shinigami gone soft?" Trowa mocked. He fired another missile.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Duo yelled back, dodging the missile yet again. This time it was a homing missile. It followed 02, yet Duo's suit was faster. However, Duo couldn't shake it. "First Heero! Now you! What the fuck am I missing here?!" Duo flew behind Trowa, and before the green eyed pilot to get out of the way, the missile struck him. Shinigami heard a scream as the video feed went dead. He looked away, a tear in his eye. The feed came back for a split second and Duo saw the dead body of a blond man with red eyes and a snake tattoo on his arm sitting right where Trowa had been. Around him the battle had started to cease. Duo slammed his fists down on the counsel. Lights flickered all around him. His body shook in violent rage. He pressed a button releasing a missile blast to end the battle once and for all and the world went silent. The lights went out as if in the one moment he had exhaled, he had put out all the light in the universe. He leaned back in his chair, shrouded in darkness. He closed his eyes, and then opened them. He gazed out in front of him, seeing a dead man. He was one of the only survivors. The enemy was defeated. Every last one of them, gone.

"DAMN IT! WHO ARE YOU AND WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THIS!" he shouted. He grinned, remembering Shinigami who still lived somewhere inside him. "WHEN I FIND YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU NEVER MESSED WITH SHINIGAMI," he added, grinning evilly, his youth alive in him, as a computer screen flickered on. 02 gazed into the eyes of the most unlikely person.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**December 6**

**3:00 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster 4; Military Colony 3**

She lay in bed, the white sheets covering her body. Her forehead was matted with sweat, but she wasn't hot. She felt ice cold breath on the back of her neck. She opened her eyes slowly, gazing around the darkness. There was someone with her. She felt his presence. He tickled the back of her neck with his hand. Her nerves eased. He shifted his hand to her face and brushed the side of it with the back of his hand. He floated over her, letting her see him. He smiled and touched her eyelids. She opened her mouth to speak to him. He placed his finger over her lips, closing them, preventing her speech from breaking the delicate silence. He wound his fingers through her hair as he lowered his body on top of hers. Their legs intertwined. She felt lighter than air. He kissed her lips. She shuddered. He began to suck on her neck. She flew into passion. Her naked body wanted this. She gave in. His cloths were off, her cloths were off. They tumbled into a world of their own mad passions for one another. The door flew open, sending the darkness from the room. A white light hovered in the doorway. A figure stood there. It was only a black silhouette. They looked at it. Suddenly he drifted away from her. His arms spread out wide. The figure stepped closer. An MD, visible to her eye. Her eyes grew wide and she was determined to scream, but her voice wouldn't come. The MD raised its gun and fired. He disappeared instantly as the crack of the gun went off.

Nikki, Kat, Ami, and Bren all sat bolt upright in bed, drops of perspiration covered their bodies and they shook violently in the deep, silent, darkness of the women's barracks.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**December 8**

**5:00 P.M.**

**Location: Earth; Somewhere in Europe**

Ayman stared up at the sky as the sun began to set. He had a few bruises on his head and a sprained ankle, but all in all, he was fine. His head rested against the hatch of Gundam Kizer. He could smell a bit of burnt forest bellow him. At some point during the latest battle, Kizer's thrusters had been destroyed. Ayman had managed to engage an emergency system which had allowed him to stabilize himself and make it to earth safely. The main question now was, where on earth was he?.

The boy had been alone for three days and he was running a bit low on food. Luckily, though, he had spotted a nearby stream and was able to boil the water so he had something to drink.

Ayman rolled over onto his stomach and closed his eyes, shivering a bit as the sun shrank. He just wished he could be found already. He knew the battle had to have ended. The only problem was, he didn't know if his friends had lived. Earth was so distant. It was possible they weren't even aware of the war in space.

A sound reached his ear. It was like a stone hitting metal. Ayman lay perfectly still as voices floated up to his ear.

"Yep. It's definitely a Gundam, Eliza." A young boy's voice reached him.

"How do you know, Stephan?" A second voice asked, this time female, and even younger.

"He just knows." That was a third voice, again male.

"Oh, shut up Palton," That was another female.

"Why don't you make me, Riana?" the second boy said.

Ayman was curious. He slowly peaked his head over the edge of the hatch. Below him were four children around his own age. The first boy, the oldest by the looks of things, noticed him as the young pilot pulled back.

"Hey! Hey, you!" Stephan was blond with pale gray eyes. He had a light dusting of freckles across his nose. The other boy, Palton was standing beside him, looking up. The older girl, Riana, was the exact same height. They both had the same brown hair and almond shaped brown eyes. The final member of the group was the smallest. Eliza had short red hair and brilliant green eyes. Her entire face was covered in freckles. Ayman poked his head back over to look at them. "Me?"

"Yeah you, you dope! What are you doing up there?" Palton added. Ayman shrugged and climbed down from on top Kizer's hatch and then jumped down the last ten feet with ease of practice. The young pilot landed gently in a crouching position. He stood up and looked at the other children, three which were taller than he was, his eyes calm. Stephan was twelve, Palton and Riana were 11, and Eliza was 9. Ayman kept his head level as he watched them, his hand on the gun at his side. He wouldn't shoot to kill, just to escape if need be.

"We asked what you were doing up there?" Stephan snapped.

"I was trying to contact my comrades. I own this Mobile Suit."

Palton and Stephan nearly wet themselves with laughter. Ayman didn't falter. His face still and emotionless. Tarak and Haru had taught him well. "What's so funny?"

"You really expect us to believe that you own this Gundam?" Palton asked, calming a bit. Ayman nodded.

"Believe what you want, but Kizer and I have work to do. As I was saying, I have to contact my comrades. They're probably looking for me." They were kids. Best tell the truth and make them believe he was lying, then to tell a lie and have them hang around. He began to climb back up.

"Wait," Riana said. She grabbed his shirt, her hand barely missing the gun. Ayman took a deep breath and returned to them as she let go. "This is Gundam Kizer?" She and Eliza had stepped closer to the MS. "The one created by Quatre Winner?"

Ayman nodded again. "Yes. My father built Kizer."

"Your father?" Eliza asked amazed. The boy nodded.

"Who are you?" Stephan asked, getting suspicious. He was no longer watching the boy, but was examining Kizer like the girls.

"Ayman Quatre Winner. The youngest son of the Winner family."

"Prove it." Palton said, the only one who wasn't watching Kizer. He had his eyes on the other brown haired, brown eyed boy.

Ayman reached into his pocket and pulled out his hologram ID card. He pressed his thumb to the pad and a miniature hologram of himself appeared. A crisp clear voice emanated from the device.

"Name: Ayman Quatre Winner

Age: Ten

Eye color: Brown

Hair color: Brown

Weight: 78 pounds

Height: 52 inches

Father: Quatre Raberba Winner

Mother: Unknown"

Ayman closed the device. "Satisfied?"

Palton and Stephan gulped, nodding as Ayman fixed them with a glare. Eliza stepped forward. "Ayman?" The boy pilot looked at the younger girl. "I'm sure Kizer is safe here. My dad owns these lands and you look hungry. Please, you should come back with us and get some food."

Riana nodded, taking the younger boy by the arm. "My mother supported the Gundam pilots in the war your father fought in."

"And she's making dinner for us." Palton added.

"And Riana and Palton's mom makes the best food." Stephan piped in, licking his lips.

Ayman smiled. "One minute, alright?"

"Promise?" Eliza said. Ayman nodded and climbed up to Kizer's cock-pit. He was starving, and definitely not about to pass up a chance for food. He turned off the homing signal. He couldn't have anyone finding his Gundam while he was gone. He climbed back down, and eagerly followed the four children to their homes.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 219**

**April 5**

**Midnight**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 11YVB01**

An eight year old boy lay on a hospital bed staring up at the ceiling. There were four other beds in the room. One held his twin sister, and the others were occupied by his older sister and two younger sisters.

Tears hovered in the boys dark eyes. His mother sat on a chair beside him, stroking his forehead. His father stood against the wall, pain and suffering written all over his face. He had his arms folded across his chest as he stared at the floor and then the five beds. White sheets had been pulled up over the girl's purplish spotted faces. He sighed and looked as his last living child, the boy's spots were fading. The doctors told them that it was a miracle he survived. They hadn't expected any of the five to make it through the night.

"Yul! Stop crying." Wufei told his son. The boy obeyed and looked at his father, giving a small nod. His mother watched them both.

"Wufei, he's just a child." Relena told her husband in defense of the boy. 05 just shook his head.

"He's a man." Yul nodded in agreement and whipped away the last of his tears. He finally released the hand of the girl in the bed directly beside him. His twin's hand fell limply beside the bed.

"I'll get better," Yul said bravely, fighting a cough that forced it's way to his throat. Wufei gave him a half smile and nodded.

"I know you will," he said. Relena gave him a half smile, too, as she stroked his fever inflicted head and then kissed his forehead.

"We'll see you in the morning." She told him as the hospital staff came in to remove the other four beds. Yul watched as his mother followed them out, her face streaked with tears as more came.

"Dad?"

Wufei shook his head. "I had hopped I would be wrong, Yul. I really did. But it was true. The girls were weak."

"But mom?"

"She's a special exception. Now, get some rest, son."

Yul nodded and pulled the blankets up under his chin as he lay back down. He closed his eyes and fell into a flood of nightmares about his sisters.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**December 14**

**Midday**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Military Hanger 6**

Nikki walked alongside Kat. Ami and Bren were in front of them. Nikki examined the helmet in her hands as Kat tossed her back and fourth. Bren didn't seem very aware that hers was even in her hand. And Ami kept adjusting it's weight from hand to hand.

The four girls walked into hanger from the hall. Six large MSs stood there. They stood in the doorway, staring up at the machines, amazed by what they saw.

"Stunning, aren't they?" a girl with short blond hair and blue eyes stepped out of the office on the side. She was dressed in the pilot uniform of the colonies. A helmet lay on a chair outside the office door. The girl was drying her hands on a towel. "They're the second best in the colonies."

"Second best?" Kat asked, confused.

"Well the Gundams are first, but these beauties are the best actually owned by the colonies. You must be the four the recruitments office sent me."

Nikki nodded. "Yes Ma'am." She and the others were dumbfounded. Was this some kind of cruel joke? They were told that they were four of the most skilled pilots seen, and that they were being transferred to a branch that would enter combat very soon.

They expected their commanders to be a bit older.

The young woman smiled. "Please. I'm no older than you. Call me-"

"Diana? Hey! Who's here?" a voice came from one of the MSs. Suddenly a young man popped his head out of the hatch of the black and white MS. He ran his hand through his spiked brown hair as he looked them over.

"The new recruits. Come down and introduce yourself." Diana called back to him. "Like he said, call me Diana." The young man had leaped down from the suit and came to stand with her. He was their age as well. "And this is Jon." He nodded.

"I'm Bren, and this is Kat, Nikki, and Ami." Bren said pointing to each of them in turn. Jon shook his head grinning.

"What's so funny?" Ami asked, hands on her hips.

"No-nothing." Jon laughed. "I have to make a phone call." He excused himself and went into the office as Diana shrugged.

"Well, um… I guess the first thing to do is assign you your suits. The black and white one is Fenris, and it belongs to Jon. The all grey one with the laser daggers is Amida, and it's mine. The other four are up for grabs."

"You mean we can choose whichever we want?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah. You're going to be the one fighting in it aren't you. So you get to choose." Diana said smiling.

"Alright, well, since I'm the oldest.." Bren began, as she began to examine the suits.

"Whoa! Wait a minute."

A few minutes later, after a lot of laughing, teasing, arguing, and a few bumps and bruises, they each chose and named their suits. Nikki's was pale blue and black. It had a laser sword in one hand. The other was ringed by a barrel shaped covering which head missiles. Metal wings adorned it's back. Izanami had extreme agility. Bren's suit was black with small areas of gold. A double edged laser ax was its weapon. Thrusters on its back enabled Osiris to fly. Missiles could be fired from each of its fingers, and there was a special cloaking devise on it. Ami's suit was dark green and brown. Vulcan had a laser gun for one arm and its other palm could open to display a cannon. It had two sets of wings which increased its ability of extreme speed. Kat's suit was blood red. One arm was a laser, the other led to smaller lasers in the fingers. Missiles were in its shoulders, legs, chest, and feet. It's thrusters on the back of its legs provided it's flight just like Osiris. Isoke also had a built in shield system.

"Then you've decided?" Diana asked, smiling, as the young women inspected their choices. They nodded, barely paying attention.

"Yeah man, its great. I'm surrounded by women!" Jon's voice came, laughing from the office. All five women turned, looked at one another.

"Oh, Jon? Can we have a word with you?" Diana asked, innocently as they walked toward the office.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**December 8**

**5:15 P.M.**

**Location: Somewhere between Earth and the Colonies**

"Shit!" Haru's voice came crackling through the system into Cyprus. Trevet looked at his screen to see Haru's face. The other pilot ran his hand over his features, looking very angry.

"What's wrong, Haru?" Trevet hear Yul ask on another screen. Tarak's face appeared on a third, but the fourth screen stayed black.

"The signal's been lost. It's disappeared completely. Either he turned it off himself, or someone did it for him."

"Damn!" Trevet cursed, slamming his fist on the consol.

"Calm down, Haru. You have an approximate range right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, where are you now."

"A bit in front of you. Over eastern Europe." Haru said, sending his voice into Cyprus. "I'll send you all the coordinates."

"Can you land?" Tarak asked as he began flipping switches. Trevet and Yul were doing the same.

"Yeah."

"FUCK!" Trevet's screen turned to snow, but they could still hear him.

"Maxwell! What's wrong?" Yul screamed.

"Enemy found me," Trevet hissed, as he was jostled back and fourth. "There's not many. I'll destroy them. You three go on a head and find Ayman. He's the most important thing right now!" His screen came back on.

"You sure," Tarak asked, his hand on the controls to turn around.

"Y-yeah." Trevet replied, as he was hit by another attack.

"Fine." Yul said, examining Haru's coordinates.

"Good luck." And don't let any escape or it'll be our hides." Tarak reminded him.

"I know."

"We'll see you in a bit," Haru told him, winking. Trevet smiled, saluted them, and turned his feed off. Cyprus turned and faced the enemy force that was coming closer to him. He smiled cruelly, the son of the god of death. "Well, Cyprus, shall we do it again? This time it'll be fair. Thirty to one."

"Give up, Gundam. You're vastly out numbered." The commander of the enemy said. "The colonies will belong to the General."

"You'd think so." A voice came up behind Trevet. The pilot recognized it, but he couldn't lay his fingers on it. Two other suits appeared with it.

"I like these odds better. Thirty to four. No sweat." A second voice penetrated the air. The third suit remained silent and shifted into fighting position.

"I don't know who you are, but you can help as long as you don't get in my way." Trevet yelled, Cyprus' chain laser lashing out. He fired two missiles and instantly took out three of the enemy. He wasted no time in finding new victims.

"Kid's got nerve." The second voice said.

"Yeah," a third voice added to the mixture.

"Are we gonna sit here and compliment him, or are we going to kick ass?" the first voice added. His face appeared on the screen of the other two suits. "We've got to show we still know what we're doing." He smiled. The other two nodded and entered the battle.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**November 27**

**7:00 AM**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

Duo waited in the lobby of the hotel after the young pilots had left. DJ was going to meet him with news about the enemy.

His violet eyes were wide as he searched the crowds for his informant. However, a sight caught his eye that he was not expecting: a short haired blond woman with blue eyes that was running towards him. The pure American woman looked out of place in the sea of people dressed for winter weather. She had on a short sleeve shirt and a skirt. A younger woman, about seventeen, followed behind the first, carrying a winter coat and trying to get the older woman to put it on. She had blond hair like the older woman, but hers was waist length. Her eyes were violet like Duo's. The first woman ran to him and collapsed in his arms.

"Duo? Why? Why did you take my boy?" she pleaded. Duo picked up the woman he hadn't spoken to in a year and hugged her close, resting his chin on her head.

"I couldn't have if it wasn't necessary, Katrina." He looked at the woman; a gift from his first love; when they broke up, she had introduced Katrina and Duo. She nodded several times and clung to him.

"Have they left yet, dad?" The teenager asked. Duo smiled at her.

"Yeah," he told her. The girl listened, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Why him?" She screamed.

"Maddian!" Katrina said, harshly.

"What?" Duo asked gently.

"Why him? Why does Trevet have to fight in that monstrosity? Because of it, he killed Hilde! He's in enough pain already. Why make him more of a killer?"

"Maddy, your brother is…" Duo struggled. "This is something your brother needs to do."

"Killing?"

"Protecting the one's he loves from those who would destroy them." She watched him, tears in her eyes.

"For once, I don't understand dad."

"Katrina?" Duo suggested.

"I'll go to the restaurant and get us all drinks." She said, knowing her husband and daughter needed to talk.

Maddian held out something that had been concealed in her coat as soon as she was sure Katrina was gone. "Mom and I went upstairs to your rooms. They gave us the keys. I found this." Duo unwrapped the covered object: Heero's gun. Duo grinned. Maddian stared at him, horrified. "Why are you smiling? Dad?"

"Maddy, I'm sorry. For your sake, I've tried to be a total pacifist. Ever since Hilde died, I've tried to give up fighting, leaving it to others. But Maddy, I can't deny who I am anymore. I AM Shinigami."

He looked at her. "That's what the gun is telling me. Or rather, that's what Heero is telling me."

"Heero Yuy?"

"It's his gun."

She looked up at him, hurt in her eyes. "So you're going to join the fight?"

"I have already begun. I will join in full force once I find what I'm looking for."

She nodded. "I guess, if its for mother and I, and everyone…"

"You think I'd kill for the fun of it?" He asked her, grinning.

Maddian smiled back. "Yes."

"Ok, well maybe I would. But I'd think before I did." Duo said, laughing as his wife returned.

"Everything ok?" she asked him.

"Everything is perfect," he said, pulling her towards him and kissing her deeply. "We've just raised very passionate children." He held her shoulders in his hand as he thought of Trevet and Maddian, and even Hilde. Suddenly, something caught his eye. DJ was here. "Katrina; Maddy; why don't you go up to my rooms. I have an important meeting."

Katrina shook her head.

"No. We really must go. I just need to see you." She kissed him.

"If you could stay long-"

"Nope. Gotta run. See you and Trevet soon, dad," Maddian said, grabbing her mother's hand and leading her off.

"Maddian?" Her mom said laughing as they left.

"I'm too old for siblings, mother." Duo heard her say. He shook his head laughing as he headed over toward DJ who waited patiently for him.

Duo's braid was still longer than DJ's hair, but it was still put the shame by the platinum blond of DJ's.

"Thanks for waiting," Duo said, standing beside him. The tall older, blond man nodded. There were strands of grey in his hair. "They're your family. I understand. And you're all sorta like family."

"Oh, do please explain yourself," Duo said, nearly laughing.

"Well, my sister did marry one of your best friends, and you're all so close." Zechs said grinning.

"Nah, Wufei's all yours." Duo laughed. "So, you said you ad information for me?"

Zechs nodded. "The leader of the enemy calls himself 'The General'" Duo nodded as he listened. "Each of his followers displayed a snake tattoo on his arm. The General is descended from an ancient king, and well, he wants to rule. He's determined to get the colonies." Zechs paused. "Duo?"

"Hmm?"

"He has a team of scientists and doctors, more intelligent than those who created your original Gundams. They've started a project. They're cloning or rather forcing people's images onto others."

"They can make someone look like someone else?"

"More. They can transform one person into another using DNA, but they haven't perfected it yet."

Duo sighed. "Is that it?"

"Yes. And I must go before I'm missed." He pulled up is sleeve and displayed a snake tattoo. Duo grinned.

"So, you got yourself on the inside, huh?"

"Yeah, now lets hope I don't get caught. Not only will they kill me, but I doubt Relena will let me rest in peace."

Duo shook his head. "No, she'll even make sure your death is painful." Zechs laughed and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 229**

**May 4**

**2:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3; 83GKY02**

A fifteen year old blond girl came running out of a candy store, gum and sweets stuffed in her pockets. She could hear the store owner calling after her. The girl noticed one of her friends, Telodor, standing beside his motor bike, eating an ice-cream.

"Hey Tel! I'm borrowing your bike!" She called, hopping on it, starting the engine with her hair clip and speeding off into the woods. Mr. Spruce, the owner of the candy shop came out, shaking a broom at her as she disappeared. He turned to Telodon, realizing she was long gone and he never got a good look at her.

"You know her?"

Tel just smiled. "Nope." He turned and walked away.

The girl slowed a bit when she knew she was safe. She reached behind her, to get the helmet. Pulling it on, she began to tighten the straps. Suddenly, a young man walked out in front of her. She slammed on the breaks, and the motor bike spun out. The rear tire hit the youth, knocking him to the ground.

Ami smacked her forehead. "Did it again, didn't I?" she said, turning towards him, a small, innocent grin on her face. Tarak stood up and dusted his pants off, smiling.

"Yeah. Lets see. I've known you a year and you never seem to disappoint me, Ami." He climbed onto the back of the motor bike. "How many times is it now?"

"Eight, Excluding when I first met you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. That's how I always know it's you," Tarak said. "You always run me over." He kissed her lips lightly. Ami blinked.

"Tarak?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I… uh… uh… so where'd you get the bike?" he said, blushing.

"Telodon leant it to me, so I could flee."

"Flee what? What did you do this time?"

"Stole candy from Mr. Spruce's store. Here, taste some." She pressed her lips against his. They broke apart.

"It… uh… tastes good. It was worth it. Can I taste again?" He asked her, nervously. Ami nodded as he placed his hand behind her head and brought his lips back to hers.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**December 14**

**3:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Military Hanger 6**

"Ready?" Jon called into his headset to each of girls. After Diana gave them a tour of the base/hanger, Jon decided he wanted to see their abilities.

"Ready!"

"Absolutely."

"Just give me the go ahead!"

"Um… ok."

Jon shook his head as the responses reached his head set from the four MSs. Diana was in the control room, ready to start the training system. He gave her a thumbs up. "Go!" He said into the headset. The four MSs sprung to life and flew out into the space. MDs began attacking.

"Hey! Kat! Watch it with those missiles," Jon heard Bren complain as one of Isoke's missiles barely missed Osiris' left leg.

"Sorry!" Jon shook his head. The others were doing fine; much better than he had expected. At one point, Bren appeared between two MDs. As they neared, she cloaked herself and drew back. The MDs wound up destroying each other. Izanami's agility let Nikki maneuver the sword precisely, destroying MD after MD. The dolls couldn't even see Vulcan as Ami engaged speed to her advantage. Another missile flew past Osiris' head.

"Kat! Concentrate!" Bren screamed.

Jon just watched, silent.

"I'm trying." A third missile was released from Isoke's palm. This time it flew toward the hanger, hitting a box of metal waste and exploding.

"Kat! You have to concentrate!" Jon hissed as he ran to put out the flames.

"I told you, I'm try- oh shit!"

"What?" Nikki asked, destroying another MD.

"There's an MD controlling my scanners. It has set Osiris and the hanger as the enemy. That's why when I fire, it goes after Bren or Jon and Diana.  
"Diana? Did you release a Quantum MD?" Jon asked confused. She shook her head.

"No! We don't have any. The main base didn't ship any to us this year."

"So?" Ami asked.

"It isn't one of ours!" Kat answered. She shifted some switches and took Isoke's missiles off auto lock. She turned toward the machine. Suddenly a voice came through. "The General will not have any resistance! He will have victory…" His voice trailed off. Isoke was right in front of him. Diana canceled the training program. Izanami, Vulcan, and Osiris were arranged behind her, about 70 feet back.

"No one messes with my friends!" Kat said, pressing a button. A missile flew the short distance between Isoke and the enemy. White light absorbed both MSs. Jon could hear both the Enemy and Kat scream in pain. Nikki, Bren, and Ami held their breath, as pieces of metal flew out from the sphere of light. A dark figure moved toward them and Isoke emerged, a little scorched, but whole.

"Kat?" Ami screamed.

"I'm fine. A little banged up and I inhaled a little smoke, but I'm fine."

"Good, cause I'm gonna kill you." Bren and Nikki said at the same time.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**December 3**

**11:50 P.M.**

**Location: ?**

The barely clothed figure hung limply from the ceiling, blood dripping down on the stone floor. A gag had been stuffed in his mouth. He listened to the drops of blood as they hit the stones, waiting for any other sound. His body ached. How did this happen? How could he have gotten caught? He had gotten wind of the general's plans early and had attempted to stop it. No! They were expecting him. He fell for the trap. Damn!

Voices reached his ears from the other side of the door. He could hear them perfectly.

"There isn't time!"

"But we've got to get him out."

"You don't even know who it is, Trowa."

"Wufei! What if they've already done to him what they want to do to us?"

"Fine! But hurry up!" Wufei commanded. Patient number three heard the sound of lock picks in the door. His eyes widened and he tried to call out. Suddenly the lock clicked. It was unlocked, the handle began to turn. He heard the other door open.

"TROWA! LETS GO!" The knob stopped turning as shouts sounded in the outer room. He heard footsteps retreating from the door, and then the issuing of orders to re-capture the pilots. And then everything was silent. His chance was gone.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 220**

**August 3**

**10:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster 1; Colony 75GTY71**

Haru lay on his back in the grass outside his house. He was eight years old. His head touched the top of a small girls as she lay there with him. They watched the stars up above them. It was nearly eighty five degrees, but Nikki wore long sleeves and pants. Haru knew it was to hide the bruises on her arms and legs.

"Haru?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think the stars are made of?" The six year old asked him. He bit his lip, thinking, knowing she was on the verge of crying once again, her most recent beating had been more hours before.

"Good little children," he told her calmly. "Good little children who are treated badly, but when they grow old and die are made into stars because they were so brave."

"Really?"

Haru nodded. He rolled onto his stomach and began to play with her hair. "Of course."

"Then I'll be a star, won't I?" She asked him, rolling over as well.

"You already are."

Nikki smiled at him, sat up and pilled her knees under her. "Do you think he'll ever stop?"

"Who?"

"My dad. Do you think he'll ever stop hurting me?"

"I don't know Nikki. I just don't know. But I know something."

"What?"

"I won't ever hurt you."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232**

**December 20**

**Morning**

**Location:?**

Quatre tossed and turned on the concrete floor of his holding cell. Heero came in and looked down at him. 01 turned on the light, the harsh brightness of it stung 04's eyes.

"Get up!"

"What?"

"Get up!"

"But why?"

"You've spoken to him!"

"Who?" Quatre asked, sitting up.

"Him." Heero drew out a whip and before he knew it, the air was filled with the sounds of Quatre's screams as they vibrated through the room.

* * *

YAY for really long chapters! OK, it's only 14 pages typed, but the others were only five or six, so yeah, YAY for very long. So yeah. I really hoped you liked that, and I really hope you want more. However, I do have a bit of bad news. A Crimson Christmas is being postponed until further notice. I have realized how much I have neglected three of my other fan fictions, and I want to work on them for a while. Thus, A Crimson Christmas will be updated once I am satisfied with the amount of work I get done on my other fics. So, I guess, for now, this is farewell. Feel free to read any of my other fics! 

FatelessWanderer


	10. Old Friends and New Knowledge

It's been a really long time, so I'll keep the A/N short and sweet. Just a refresh on the

**1) Disclaimer:** I do not, nor will I ever own Gundam Wing. I do however own the second generation and any other things you do not recognize from the series.

**2) Dedication: **This chapter is for Amy, Katlin, and Brenna. May life always grant you all happiness, because you deserve it (especially because you let me mess with your characters). I love you, and this summer is going to be the best ever.

With that said, as a 'the first year of college is over' gift to myself and my 1 year down friends, I give you chapter 10 of A Crimson Christmas.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 8**

**6:30 P.M.**

**Location: Earth, in the middle of Europe**

"You've got to be kidding me." Trevet exclaimed. His gundam stood on the earth, directly across from the three who had proven themselves as allies an hour before by helping him annihilate "the General's" forces. His mouth hung open as he gazed at the three pilots faces. "You've so got to be kidding me." He began to climb down from Cyprus, and then jumped the last few yards to the ground with skill.

"Trevet! Wait!" One of the men called as he and his companions followed the younger man's actions.

"No dad! I won't wait! This makes absolutely no sense." Trevet said, halting his gait and turning to glare at his father, intense violet meeting intense violet. "You told us you couldn't help! You told us we had to do this! I killed people! You made me into a killer! I murdered people. Dad, I watched a little boy die, and it was my fault. Just like Hilde was my fault. And all because you were too lazy to help."

Duo looked at his companions. Trowa and Wufei shrugged. "Trevet…" His son ignored him, but turned and continued to walk away.

"Maxwell!" Wufei commanded. Trevet's head snapped up. Wufei glared at him. "Do you forget what your father lived with? Don't you think he would have helped to start with if he could have? Don't you think he would have kept you from this life if he could?" Trevet opened his moth to respond, but then actually though about what he was going to say and promptly shut his mouth.

"Trevet, circumstances are different. We only returned to fighting to help you boys in the war, and so we can continue the search for Quatre," Duo explained. Trevet nodded. He looked at 03 and 05. They both nodded.

"And I suppose I'm to keep silent about this meeting? Even from the other guys?"

"Yes." Trowa informed him. Trevet smirked and shook his head.

"Figured as much. And my incentive to keep quiet?" Trevet asked, meeting each of their eyes with his own.

Duo snorted. Trowa and Wufei gave him a questioning look. "What? It sounds like something I would ask." Wufei slapped his forehead and Trowa tried to hide a grin.

"How about we don't kill you?" Trowa asked him.

Trevet smiled nervously. His father wouldn't really let them kill his only son. He glanced at Duo who refused to meet his eye. _Shit. _"Fair enough," Trevet said quietly.

02, 03, and 05 all nodded. Wufei reached out to shake his hand. Trevet gripped it.

"Trevet. Tell the other's that I contacted you with new orders. Completely ignore the search for 04 and focus on finding out as much as you can about the 'General' and his plans. And always protect the colonies." Duo told him.

"And 04?"

"We'll take care of him." Trowa told the young man. Trevet nodded again.

"Fine." He walked back over to Cyprus and began to climb back towards the controls. He turned around one last time to face the three former gundam pilots. "And thanks."

Wufei and Trowa nodded. Duo smiled at him. "Take care son."

"You too, Dad." Trevet grinned, jumping into the cockpit, and bringing Cyprus back to life. Within moments he was gone, leaving Duo, Wufei, and Trowa alone.

"He's a good kid, Duo." Trowa remarked. Duo just nodded. "Come on, we've got to follow that lead. Something about Quatre being in L3."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 8**

**7:30 P.M.**

**Location: Earth; Somewhere in Europe**

"Mama! Mama! We're home." Palton called into the small home, he and his sister Riana dropped their bags by the door. Stephan, Eliza, and Ayman waited in the doorway.

"Mama, we brought guests." Riana called after him.

"Oh, Eliza and Stephan are here for dinner. That's fine, I thought they'd be coming." A woman with the same brown hair and brown eyes as Palton and Riana walked out of the kitchen drying her hands on a dish towel. "Riana, set two more places at the table, and Stephan, Eliza, do your parents know you're here… Oh, hello," she said, observing the boy.

"Mama, this is Ayman." Palton introduced Kizer's pilot to his mother. "Ayman, this is my mother Ariani Rotel."

"Nice to meet you Ayman," she told him smiling.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ms. Rotel."

"Mama, Ayman's a gundam pilot. We found him in the Thrushen woods. He was hungry, so we brought him home for food."

"I see." Ms. Rotel remarked, shaking her heads. Only her daughter could make up such a story. It was more likely that Ayman was the son of the new neighbors, and they had been playing games. Ayman, however, was taken back by the fact that he wasn't questioned. "Well, all of you go wash up. I'll have dinner on the table momentarily."

"Alright Mama," Riana told her mother, running off to wash up. Stephan and Palton followed right behind her.

"Come on, Ayman, I'll show you the way," Eliza told him, walking to another bathroom. One that wouldn't be crowded by the twins and Stephan.

Ayman nodded and followed the smaller girl. It was nice. For once, he was surrounded by children his own age, able to act the part, not have to worry about MDs and MSs. When he and Eliza finished, he sat down beside her at the dinning room table. Ms. Rotel had put a generous helping on his plate. She smiled at him. There was something familiar about the boy.

Halfway through dinner, the doorbell rang. "I wonder who that could be?" Ms. Rotel, asked the air as she slowly put her napkin down. Palton jumped from his seat.

"I'll get it." The young pre-teen was gone before his mother could say a word. There were sounds of angry talk, and then Palton reemerged back in the kitchen, his face pale, and a gun pointed at his back. "Mama, these people want Ayman." He said, his voice shaky. Eliza, Stephan, and Riana squealed in terror and darted into the kitchen. One of the two men snickered, while his companion attempted to dart after them. The first used his free arm to stop his companion, keeping the other pointed at the boy's head. He was tall, and wearing a military uniform with no sleeves, revealing a snake tattoo on his arm. His bright green eyes blazed beneath red-brown hair.

"No matter. We're not after them, Captain Sky. All we need is him." He pointed to Ayman.

"But Commander Writhe…" The Captain argued. He had on a uniform as well. His dark brown hair was cut short and stuck out at odd angles. His deep chocolate eyes furious.

"Just the boy, Captain." His superior told him, and Sky sighed defeated. "Now ma'am. If you don't want your son to get hurt, you'll hand over the boy." He smirked at Ariani, who looked horrified. She could hear the other three whimpering on the other side of the doorway, and her eyes filled with tears as she watched Palton shake. Ayman met his eyes for a second and nodded. He stood up slowly and walked in front of the boy's mother.

"Let him go, and I'm yours." Ayman told them calmly.

"Drop all your weapons." Writhe, told him. Ayman drew two guns and several knives from his body. Ms. Rotel watched stunned. Here was a boy, carrying tons of weaponry, and surrendering himself like a grown man, when he wasn't even older than her own children. He dropped them on the floor at his feet, never taking his eyes off Writhe and Sky. "Check him," Writhe commanded. Sky immediately moved to Ayman's side, and began to pat his clothing, checking for other weapons.

"He's clean."

"Good, grab him and let's go." Writhe snickered as Sky grabbed the small boy. He slipped his own arm around Palton, keeping the gun pointed at his head.

"Hey! You said, you'd let Palton go, if I surrendered." Ayman, said, struggling a bit, keeping his eyes on Writhe and not his captor.

"Well, I'm Commander Alder Writhe, and guess what. I lied!" He said, glaring at the boy. He signaled to Sky, and the captain drew his gun and hit Ayman over the head with it, knocking the ten year old out. Ariani gasped, and stood their frozen. Writhe smirked at her.

"Now, be a good girl, and don't tell anyone you saw this, and nothing will happen to Palton here."

"Mama!" Palton cried out, before Writhe hit him over the head and he joined Ayman in the realms of the unconscious.

"PALTON!" She cried out, as Writhe disappeared out the door behind Sky. She rushed to the window, and watched as the two men carried the boys toward the Mobile suits on the edge of the woods. Suddenly the man carrying Ayman froze.

"Commander, we have a problem."

"Drop the boy and no one gets hurt." A calm voice told him. Haru stood up slowly from his hid out behind the bushes. His gun aimed at Sky's head. 'The General's' man stood frozen. "I said drop him Morgan."

"One against two? I don't think so Yuy." Sky told him as Writhe came up behind him.

"What makes you think I'm alone?" Haru asked him. A click of a gun on his left made Morgan turn to lock eyes with Tarak. Yul appeared on their right.

"Go ahead and try to retreat, scum." A voice said behind them. The two men turned around to meet the eyes of an Arabian man and his female companion, a woman with two braided blond pigtails.

"Nice timing Rashid, Ms. Po." Yul told them, smirking.

"Anything for Ayman and Master Quatre." Rashid told them, smiling back.

"Now drop the boys." Sally told them.

"You think we can't take you?" Writhe asked them.

"If we thought that, then we wouldn't have the entirety of the Magunac Corps waiting for the order to attack in their MSs." Rashid retorted.

"Damn it."

"Drop the boys." Haru repeated, locking eyes with Sky. "Morgan, drop him."

He smirked, whatever you say, Yuy!" The man said, tossing a smoke ball down, blinding Haru, Tarak, Yul, and their allies. Sounds of a helicopter roared overhead, and Sky and Writhe grabbed hold of the rope ladder, which began to pull them up. Haru shot several shots at the men, careful not to hit the boys. One shot hit Writhe's hand, making him drop Palton. Tarak dived beneath and caught the boy's limp body. Rashid wasted no time, he contacted the other men of the Magunac Corps and suddenly several mobile suits appeared from the cover of the woods. They began firering on the helicopter until Sky dropped Ayman. Yul caught the boy with ease, bracing himself as the child feel from the altitude. The helicopter rose beyond their reach.

"Don't think this is over, Yuy! The Serpents will win and you and I will meet again."

"I look forward to it, Sky." Haru called back, glaring at the young man. He watched in silence as their enemy escaped.

"Shit." Tarak whispered, drawing Haru's attention.

"Don't worry, we'll get them next time. Are they ok?"

Yul nodded, holding smelling salts under Ayman's nose. Palton was already awake and coughing in Tarak's arms. "Good, let's get him back to his mother. You good Winner?"

"Yeah." He blinked. "Where's Trevet?"

Tarak frowned. "Don't know. He took on thirty of the Serpent troops on his own, just so we could find you. Most likely dead now." Tarak told him, trying to keep his voice level and emotionless. Ayman nodded, keeping his worry to himself. He wouldn't cry. Not until he knew for sure.

"Ayman?" The young boy looked at Palton. "I didn't believe you before. But now I'm convinced, that you're a Gundam pilot. Thank you for saving me."

"I didn't save you. My friends did." Ayman told him. "Come, your mother and sister are worried. And I'm going to leave before I cause more problems."

Haru clapped Ayman's shoulder in understanding and walked back with them to Palton's home.

"Mama!" Palton screamed, running into the room. Ariani caught him in a hug and sobbed into his collar.

"My baby! You're alright. Thank god you're alright." She looked up at Haru and Ayman. Haru met her eyes, but Ayman looked away, ashamed. "Who are you people?"

"My name is Haruko Yuy, and this is Ayman Quatre Winner, and that's all I can tell you, ma'am."

"Winner?" She blinked.

"Yes ma'am. Quatre Winner wa-is my father, and I don't know who my mother is." Ayman told her, without speaking. Ariani's eyes went wide.

"I-I do." Ayman looked at her questioning. "You're my son." She told him. Ayman watched in disbelief. The moment she said it, he knew it was true. Some bond, or possibly the space heart he inherited from his father. Tears rolled down his eyes, but he couldn't move. He shook his head, remembering his father.

"I-it's nice to meet you, mom. But I have to go." Without another word, he turned and walked out of the house.

"Ayman! Aym-" She called after him. So her third son was alive and well. A hand held her shoulder, keeping her from moving.

"Let him go. Now isn't a good time. When the war is over, if he can, he'll come back. But he has things he knows he needs to do." Haru told the crying woman. He watched Ayman walk away, his shoulders shaking. _You just don't want them to get hurt, do you kid?_ He released the woman and followed him. They all had people they needed to protect. It didn't matter how old you were. In war, it was the love you had for other's that made you strong. Finding his family would make Ayman stronger, just as protecting Nikki had always made Haru stronger.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 16**

**8:00 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

"Alright we're here." Jon told the four sleepy young women seated behind him on the inter colony shuttle. Nikki and Bren cracked an eye from their semi-sleep and gave him questioning looks. Ami just pretended to be sleeping, and Kat shot him a death glare.

"Why did we have to travel this early in the morning?" She complained.

Jon tossed her bag at her. "Because the mobile suits arrive in an hour and I have to be at the hanger to collect them. Just be glad I'm not making you four come."

"No, instead, we have to check out the hotel and make sure there aren't any serpents hanging around." Bren responded.

"Hey, you signed up. War waits for…"

"No one," Nikki finished for him. "Yeah, yeah, we know. We've heard it before. Come on, Ami. Give it up." She nudged the false sleeping girl, who rubbed her eyes and pouted.

"Do we have to?" She complained, not wanting to move from the comfortable seat.

"It's either that or help Mr. Commander over there." Bren told her, jerking her head at Jon who turned and stuck his tongue out at her. Diana had had to remain behind. Something about training other officers. For now they answered to Jon and only Jon, and occasionally the superior officers.

"Now, stay together, and don't leave the hotel." Jon told them.

"Jon, sweetie?" Nikki called to get his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Don't push it." She told him, walking past him into the terminal.

"Right." He responded, following the four of them. Amy breathed in deeply when she stepped out into the space port.

"Ahhh… colonial city pollution. How I've missed thee." She said, grinning. Bren shook her head, while Kat slung her arm over her friends shoulder.

"Three rooms in the hotel upstairs, right Jon?" Bren asked him. He nodded quickly.

"I've got to go. Can't let anyone see the suits." He winked and sped off into the crowd.

"If we had to have a commanding officer, I'm glad it was him." Bren said, as they got into an elevator. Ami and Kat pressed their noses against the glass as they rose up to the hotel level.

"Oh god!" Ami exclaimed, stepping back and going white.

"What?"

"They're staying at the same hotel!" Ami shrieked, pointing at five young men.

"Well, we knew we'd be fighting alongside them." Nikki told her, looking down.

"Yeah, but the same hotel?" Ami grinned.

"Oh no. No no! Ami keep your head in the game." Bren told her.

"But can't I play two games at once."

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"Fine by me." Nikki and Bren turned to glare at Kat. "What? I live vicariously through her." Nikki slapped her forehead.

"Do you think they know?" Bren asked.

"Dunno. Maybe." Nikki answered her. She sighed and followed her friends off the elevator, desperately trying to keep Ami from running over, as well as convincing herself not to. They had to figure out if they were being expected or not first. "Bren, you and Ami go check in. Kat and I will get closer to hear their conversation." Bren and Ami nodded.

"And Nikki. Control yourself till we get there, huh?" Bren told her.

Nikki glared at her, grabbed Kat by the arm, and drag her off to a table behind her fiancé and his friends.

"Trevet, I still can't believe you defeated all those men on your own. It's amazing that you're alive." Ayman told him. Trevet just leaned back in his chair, propped his feet up on the table and sighed.

"Yeah, well. It was nothing. Anyway, Haru says you found your mother?"

Ayman looked down at his lap, his excitement ebbing. "And almost got my half brother killed. What was I thinking, going home with civilians?"

"You were a hungry soldier. We had no idea that the Serpents knew who we were. Now we're gonna have to be more careful." Tarak told him.

"I guess you're right." Ayman told him.

"Of course, he's right Kid." Trevet told him. "And besides, you found her right? When this war is over, you can get to know her and your brother and sister better." Trevet told him. Ayman smiled up at Trevet.

"Why exactly did you wait until today to contact us, and here of all places, Maxwell?" Yul asked the younger man.

"Dad's orders. All I know is that this colony is heavily under Serpent control." He said, raising his eyebrows to the soldiers guarding all the exits. "Dad is sending backup within a few days. On the 21 we meet them at a hanger for a training mission, and then, when we're ready, we infiltrate and destroy the Serpent base." Trevet told him.

Tarak and Ayman nodded slowly in understanding. "Yuy? If the Serpents know who we are, why don't they attack?" Yul told him after he caught a soldier staring at them for the third time.

"Well, first of all, they're undercover as colony military. And second of all, they know the consequences of attacking in public. They just have to wait for us to screw up," Haru told them shooting a meaningful look at Trevet, who smiled innocently. Yul rolled his eyes at him.

"Trevet, who is our backup, anyway?" Tarak asked him, sipping his coffee.

"Not a clue." Trevet told him, as they all stood up to go, completely unaware that Nikki and Kat were listening to them. Tarak nodded, and followed, his coffee still in his hands.

"So we just wait? Commander Maxwell, gave us no information what so ev-" He was cut off as a young woman walked into him, completely emerged in her conversation with her friend, resulting in his coffee being spilt down his shirt.

"Oh my god! I'm so, so sorry," Ami exclaimed, turning to look at him. Tarak was already looking at her, laughing his head off. Before she knew it, he had her in his arms, still laughing. She looked up at his face, and realized it was her fiancé. "Damn it. I did it again."

"Of course you did. If you didn't, it wouldn't be you." He told her, kissing her. He lifted her off her feet and only broke the kiss for a moment. "God, I've missed you." He resumed kissing her passionately, not caring who was watching, and Ami definitely knew what he wanted at that moment. She could feel a certain bulge pressing against her thigh.

"Ok, so if Ami's here," Haru said, looking around him. He spotted Bren and she waved. He gave her a small smile and then frowned.

"Looking for me?" Nikki asked him, Kat and her finally coming up behind them. Haru didn't even answer, just whirled around and picked her up, kissing her deeply. "I take it you missed me." Haru just laughed and kissed her again.

"Umm… Bren?" Trevet said, looking at her. She raised her eyebrows and looked at him. "I was… umm… well… I…"

"Oh shut up and come here," she told him, kissing him on the lips. He gazed at her, his eyes wide. "What? You didn't like that?"

"Um… um…" Bren just laughed and kissed him again.

"Kat." Yul said, nodding to the fourth girl. She locked her eyes with his.

"Yul."

"Um… I guess what I want to say is, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for insinuating that I was your inferior?" Kat asked him.

"Uh… no. I'm sorry you got so mad."

"Grrr… Oh, you arrogant slime!" Kat told him, stomping off.

"Yul? What did you do this time?" Tarak asked him, Ami lodged safely in his arms. Yul just shrugged and walked off in the other direction. Nikki shook her head.

"Forget him. How are you, Ayman?" She asked the smaller boy.

"Hey Nikki, Ami, Bren. I'm good. You? What are you doing here?"

"We're good." Bren told him.

"We're uh, shopping." Nikki cut in, realizing the guys didn't know they were their backup.

"Shopping? Nikki, this is a dangerous colony. The serpent troops are everywhere here." Haru told them.

"You shouldn't be here, Ami. I want you all to go home." Tarak told them.

"Oh guys, we're fine. As long as we don't do anything to draw attention to ourselves." Bren told them. Nikki and Ami kissed their fiancés. Bren hugged Trevet around the shoulders.

"That's what we're worried about." Haru remarked. Nikki elbowed him lightly.

"And here we thought you missed us." Nikki told him.

"We'll, you are here. Maybe we can have some fun?" Trevet smirked.

"Well…" Bren smiled back at him.

"We have to check on Kat first. And you boys should talk to Yul. Get him to lay off that macho bit, or we're all going to sock him one." Ami told them. Nikki nodded agreement. Bren looked reluctant, but then nodded.

"Sorry." Bren told Trevet, kissing his cheek. Ami and Nikki kissed their boys and turned to follow Bren who headed towards the rooms.. Tarak grabbed Ami's wrist to keep her from going.

"Room 204 and 205." Ami told Tarak. He nodded and let her go. She ran to catch up with her friends. Tarak shaking his head when she ran into a chair, and turned grinning at him. "I meant to do that."

"Sure you did, Ami." Trevet called after her. "That's some girl, Tarak."

"Yeah, she is one of a kind."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 20**

**2:45 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3; Colony ?**

He sat alone shivering in the darkness. His breath was steady, and his eyes bleary. He hadn't been whipped in about 2 weeks, since the day Trowa and Wufei had escaped the premises. However, he knew the guards were still there, though more lax. Very few knew that there was a third prisoner. In fact, that knowledge was probably limited to the doctors and the general. He spat on the floor. He had never detested someone so much. His fingers moved slowly. Although he hadn't eaten in two weeks, he was still as strong as ever. He had been trained for this. But he knew he couldn't go much longer. The small water bucket he had had at least kept him hydrated. But the soldier's two week absence also meant that they hadn't relocked the door to his cell.

His fingers worked through the bars, he managed to grab a shard of rock from the dirt ground, and had been picking at his lock everyday for hours for the past two weeks, and he was almost there. Just a little bit more, and the lock would break. He looked up, dry blood falling off his matted hair and into his eyes. He shook it away and worked harder. His finger slipped away and the lock came off, finally releasing his arms from their upright position. He worked his muscles slowly, careful not to cry out in pain. He lowered the lock to the floor gently, and attempted to stand. He winced as his stiff joints refused to obey. More than anything, he would liked to have remained in the cell until his limbs had adjusted, but there wasn't time. If he did, he risked the doctors remembering him and coming back to find him. He needed to get as far away as possible.

Slowly, he slipped out of the door to the cell and into the room 03 and 05 had been held in. He glanced around the white washed hospital room, his eyes settling a window. Their escape route. He stumbled to the window, and lifted his weak body over it. He hated to admit it, but he needed to get help, and he needed to get it fast.

He landed softly on the other side of the window and glanced around. Several yards in front of him was the fence. Barbed wire's ran along its top. Search lights darted back and fourth slowly, and the guards patrolled the perimeter. But off to the side a little, a fresh piece of metal had been added to patch the fence. A bush concealed most of it. _Stupid. That just makes it easier._ He smirked and deeming the coast clear, darted to the bush. Using the last of his strength, and the rock he still had with him, he cut his way through the fence and stumbled off into the distance, careful not to attract any attention to him. Just had to make it to the nearest space port. And with that, patient three was finally free.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 230 **

**May 29**

**4:30 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3; Colony 83GKY02**

Four sixteen year olds rode in a car, the only blonde one driving. She had the windows down and the music loud enough to disturb the neighborhood they drove through.

"Turn it up, Ami. I can't hear it!" Kat complained from the back seat beside Bren. Nikki obliged her and turned up the stereo.

"Well, Happy Birthday to me!" Ami said, rolling her eyes and laughing. She closed her eyes and leaned back for a second.

"Ami, keep your eyes on the road or you're going to hi-" Nikki was telling her.

"Oh my God! Look out!" Bren screamed, drawing Ami back to what she was doing! Ami slapped on her breaks, the other three bracing themselves for impact as Ami's birthday present rammed straight into two pedestrians. Thankfully, she had hit the breaks hard enough, to only knock the two young men down. Nikki, Bren, and Kat all looked at each other, speechless, and shaking. Nikki immediately lowered the blasted music. Ami sat, stark white, her knuckles turning red from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. Oddly, she was laughing. Laughing harder than she had ever in her entire life.

"She's cracked." Kat said, sliding her seatbelt off. Bren nodded, slowly, obviously scared of her friend.

"Ami! You just hit two people!" Nikki yelled at her. Ami shook her head, still laughing her ass off and staring out the window. Bren and Kat had already started snickering. Nikki looked at all of them, completely baffled and freaked out. "Ok, you've all lost it." She told them. Kat pointed in front of them. Nikki turned to look. Standing directly in front of the vehicle were Tarak Barton and Haruko Yuy. The High school senior, a.k.a, Ami's boy friend stood with his hands on his hips and his eyebrows raised. Haruko stood behind him, eyeing them all carefully. Nikki gulped. Would he be mad at her? He was so distant since he had started college. Were they even friends anymore?

"Ami!" Tarak called. She stopped laughing and looked up, the picture of innocence.

"Um… Number 104?"

"105." He replied, shaking his head. "You never learn, do you?" She bit her lip and shook her head.

"Which one of you let Ami behind the wheel of a car?" Haru asked as the four of them climbed out of the vehicle. They all shrugged. Bren hugged Haru around the shoulders and Kat stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sorry baby, it's my birthday." Ami told Tarak as if it was an explanation.

"Yes, I know. But you of all people should never be behind the wheel of anything that moves; be it a bike, a motorcycle, or a car. Least of all a car. Next time you plan to drive, warn me so I can stay off the road. Or better yet, stay inside all day."

"Ha-ha, very funny." She told him, kissing him. "You're alright, though?" He nodded.

"Haru, are you ok?" Nikki asked him, not meeting his eyes. He looked at her, his eyes running over her figure. It had been at least four months since he'd seen her at Christmas. He and Tarak had just met up, since he was on his way home from college for the year. She was still wearing long sleeves and pants, and it looked like she had a healing black eye, although she had put makeup on to hide it. He sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I was wearing my seatbelt." She responded, smiling. His heart melted. He knew she was aware that's not what he meant. But then he looked at her friends. They didn't know. What did she tell them? How could she possibly explain her attire and her black eye.

"Nikki's had that bruise. She hit her eye on the bathroom sink counter when she went to pick up something." Bren told him. Haru nodded, looking at her. Nikki just shrugged and walked towards the back of the car. Haru excused himself and followed her.

"What happened?"

"I hit myself." Nikki told him.

"The last time I saw you, at Christmas," he watched as she winced when he said Christmas. "You were fine. You'd been living with your parents for about a year again, and your father hadn't touched you. What happened?"

"As if you cared." She retorted, not looking at him, letting tears run down her cheeks. She hadn't openly cried since Christmas.

"Nikki?"

"He hit me, alright? He's been hitting me. Since you left for school again. I refused to leave my room one day, he got mad and he hit me. And then he couldn't stop."

"Why didn't you leave? Have you called someone?"

"No. How could I? I don't have the strength. I deserved to be hit. I didn't listen. I-I was too hurt. Too betrayed."

"By who? Who hurt you, Nikki?" She looked at him slowly, her eyes red from crying. He brushed his finger over the purple bruise. She turned her head to the side to keep him from touching her. "Who?"

"You. You did. And you promised you'd never hurt me. You promised. It may not have meant anything to you, but it meant something to me. By the way, how is Chantal? Are you two getting married soon?" She shot at him, glaring with all her heart. Haru blinked. She was jealous of his girlfriend? Well, his ex girlfriend, but she didn't know that?

"Nikki, I… I… Chantal and I aren't together anymore."

"Oh."

"We split about a week after we got back to school. I couldn't take how mean she was to you over Christmas. I- Nikki, I like someone else."

She remained silent, not even looking at him anymore. Something told her she and Haru weren't alone either. She looked up and noticed the other four watching them in the corner of her eye. She didn't care if they saw her cry, but she couldn't let them find out about her dad.

"Nikki, I- I like you." She blinked and looked up at him. "I never meant to hurt you. I promised I never would, and I'm sorry it happened. I- I think I love you." She still didn't say anything, but got closer to him, and then pressed her lips lightly against his.

"I- I love you too. Help me?"

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 20**

**6:30 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3; Colony 83GKY02**

"What do you think Trevet told them?" Trowa asked his two companions. Duo shook his head and Wufei shrugged.

"He'll think of something. His is Maxwell's son." Wufei stated. "But then again…"

"Shut it."

"Duo?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why here?" Trowa looked at 02, his eyes asking more than his words. "Why here and what is it that you're not telling us?"

"This is where the kids went to school. Not only my own, but Haru, Tarak, even Yul." Duo began. Trowa and Wufei watched him. "Funny huh? We all went our separate ways and yet our children…"

"Maxwell… What about Haruko?" Wufei asked, noticing the change in tone when Duo referred to the younger son of pilot 01. Duo looked at the coffee mug he had in his hand. His other hand went to his waist. Slowly, he pulled the metallic object that had almost ended his life out of its holster and laid it on the table.

"It was Heero's." He told 03 and 05, calmly. He took out a folded piece of paper. "Right before Q-man disappeared, he sent me this." The paper was torn and creased. Burnt in some areas.

"Duo,

I don't know who else I can trust with this information. I have to go away for a while. Renyu has disappeared. He left me a note saying he was going to avenge his mother's death. He was joining the Serpents with the Winner boys. He said if I had any pride, I would join him. I can't believe Quatre would let his son's join this man. They're calling him the General. I've never been so angry, Duo. First my wife. Now my son. I can't loose anything else. I will have my revenge, Duo. Should anything happen to me, contact Haruko. He'll help you, if only because he has someone he needs to protect. Don't forget me, Duo.

Heero Yuy"

Trowa and Wufei blinked. "You mean…"

"Yes. I believe Heero is holding Quatre hostage. I think Heero is the man we're after." Duo told them, meeting each of their eyes.

"Well, no wonder we can't track them down." Wufei stated. Trowa and Duo looked at him like he'd finally snapped. "It's Yuy. The perfect soldier. He wouldn't be Heero if he couldn't elude his pursuers."

"Wufei's right, Duo." Trowa told him. "But that's not what's bothering you. You can't hunt him, can you." Duo shook his head.

"It's Heero. I can't kill him. Even if he did take Quatre, I can't kill him."

"Duo…"

"No! He's our Allie. He's our friend! He's just confused! We have to help him." Duo yelled, slamming his fist down on their table at the back of the outdoor café. There was no one near by, considering the early hour. A soft rustling echoed from the bushes beside them. Duo turned to them. _Bugged?_ "Shit!" He grabbed hold of Heero's gun and aimed it at the bushes, as a figure, clad in nothing but boxers stumbled out. His face twisted in a grin.

"Are you going to kill me with my own gun, Maxwell?" He muttered before his eyes rolled back and he fell forward in a faint.

"Heero!" Trowa lunged forward and caught 01 in his arms, as the weak man collapsed. He looked confused at Duo and Wufei. But were speechless. What the Hell was going on?

* * *

Well, I hope you all enjoyed that. I've been working on it for the past few days. Longer than most of the other chapters, but definitely not as long as the last chapter. Sorry about the really long wait. I got caught up in two of my other stories, and trying to write a new one shot. Oh well, I promise to get the next chapter up soon. I have lots more angst and some humor ready for it. Love you all. Oh and god, I feel like Heero right now. I wrote the last section of this in the really early morning hours, with the only like coming from my laptop. LOL. Until next time

Fateless Wanderer


	11. Forgive Me for I Have Caused You Pain

A/N: Alright, so let me just give a very important forewarning on this chapter. This chapter is meant to be a bridge, just to fill space to carry one important space in time to another. It's mostly flashbacks or memories, but the most important thing is that I was depressed when I started this. I needed to cry, but I couldn't and if any of you have ever seen X, let's just say I was watching an Arashi/Sorata video over and over again.

* * *

**Year: After colony 231 **

**December 14th**

**5:00 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5**

Ami sat in a chair inside the hospital room. She had tears in her eyes and kept staring intently at the bed and its occupant. She was only half watching, as her mind continued to roll over the bloody words she had found on the pillow earlier that morning. She couldn't even say she was glad her parents hadn't yelled at her for her "pre marital" actions the night before, as the circumstances were the worst in the world. Her fiancé had gone missing, and her best friend was lying in a bed, fighting for her life, hooked up to more machine's than Ami could count. Sure the most critical part of the day had passed, and the doctors predicted at ninety percent chance that she would live, but it was the other ten percent that worried her.

A light hand rested on the blonde's shoulder, and she looked up slowly, meeting Bren's eyes. Kat pressed a cup of coffee into her hand.

"How is she?" Bren asked. Ami brushed the tears from her eyes and tried to give her friends a hasty smile. They had come as soon as she called them. As soon as she recovered from what her mother told her. She shut her eyes and could have sworn she saw Tarak's bloody message again. Shuddering, she opened them again.

"The doctors say she should make it." Ami told them. Kat frowned, and walked over to the bed. She lifted Nikki's hand into her own and kissed the back of it, then let it gracefully drop as she knelt beside the bed. Ami and Bren followed her with their eyes.

"Your mom called all day looking for you." Bren told her, hinting that she wanted an explanation. "I know you were celebrating the engagement and all, but all day?"

"Tarak's gone, Bren. I came out of the shower and he had written me a message in blood." She chocked back tears as both of the other two conscious girls in the room turned and stared at her as if she had grown a second head. "Somehow, I don't think his disappearance and Nikki's wound are unrelated. She was with Haruko last night." Bren nodded and walked over to Nikki as Ami yawned.

"You should sleep." Bren told her. Ami shook her head.

"I'm going to wait for her." Ami told them. Kat glared at her but nodded and took Bren by the hand.

"We'll go find more coffee," Kat explained, before leading her friend out the door. Ami watched them go, before turning her attention back to the bed and letting her mind wander. She wanted to know where he was, if he was alive, and why he was gone. It just wasn't fair.

* * *

**Year: After colony 221**

**August 13th**

**Dusk**

**Location: America**

It wasn't fair. How many seven year olds had to deal with this? How many had to watch both of their parents die at the hands of a mobile suit? Not many. And she didn't want to be among their numbers. She ran. As fast as she could. If she ran enough, she could be past the pain. Her parents were dead; none of them would miss her. The tears fell into the grass as she darted into the forest. The coolness of the grass ran through her bare feet as she slummed on the ground, her black dress wrapping around her small, shivering frame. Her sobs echoed in the trees, making the silence around her even more noticeable. Footsteps padded up behind her. Softly a small hand came to rest on her shoulder and a young girl stepped in front of her. She squatted and lifted the crying girl's chin so they looked into each other's eyes.

"They're stupid if they think you can ever be ok again, Bren." Kat told her, using one hand to cup her chin and the other to hold her hand. The girl who hand her hand on her shoulder knelt behind her and wrapped her tiny arms around Bren's shoulders. "Ai shiteru." They young Japanese girl told her. Bren blinked. She didn't know all of Nikki's language, but that she did understand. She looked up and around for the fourth member of her boarding school mates. Ami was hanging upside down from the tree in front of her, staring into the distance. She understood Bren. She had been born and than orphaned. The parents she lived with had adopted her when she was a little baby. Ami jumped of the branch.

"Well kill them." She told Bren, no remorse in her voice. She looked at her wounded friend and gave a half smile. Bren just leaped forward, threw her arms around Ami's waist and sobbed, as hard as she could. Kat grabbed hold of her and drew her own arms around the two, as Ami had started crying as well. Nikki lingered behind, clutching the long sleeves of her shirt. She kicked the dirt of the ground, as she heard voices coming behind them.

"No! Don't let them! Don't let them take me!" Bren screamed, grasping the ends of Ami's dress tight in her small fists. She continued to sob. Ami looked at Kat and Nikki who shrugged. They knew they were powerless to stop what was about to happen. Nikki kicked the ground again, Kat squeezed her shoulder, and Ami knelt and whispered in her ear.

"Be strong. We'll see you again." Bren just cried harder. A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders. The eight year old looked up into the soft eyes of her uncle. He pulled her off Ami, even though she clung with all her might.

"Come, Bren. It's time to go."

"No! I won't leave them." Bren protested crying, kicking, screaming. Her parents had been ripped away, why did her best friends have to be taken also. Nikki let a tear fall, leaving a wet stain on the dirt. Kat looked away, and Ami rubbed her arm as if she suddenly got a chill. Bren's uncle wasted no time. He just lifted her up and walked away. The other three listened in silence as Bren's sobs and pleads became more and more distant. Bren was going to live in the colonies and go to school there. Her new guardians couldn't afford the boarding school, and they couldn't even afford to stay any longer on earth. Kat dropped to her knees, and began to twirl the long blades of grass in her fingers. She had just lost her best friend, and she truthfully wondered if she'd ever see Bren again, as the last sobs were heard.

* * *

**Year: After colony 224**

**April 4th**

**Midday**

**Location: France**

"Katylina! Katylina!" She could hear the voices calling to her, but she couldn't call back. Her nurses were looking for her again. Not that she cared. She had been alone since Bren's aunt and uncle took her away. She had been alone since the boarding school closed and Ami and Nikki returned to the colonies. She had been alone since her parents decided to fly around the world and leave her in the "capable" hands of her nurses. She walked into her parent's bathroom and opened the cupboard. She looked at all the beautiful bottles. The ten year old studied them. They would be her tools, as long as she could keep her nurses searching for her. She only needed a little time.

She was more intelligent than most people gave her credit for. She knew what taking too many pills could do and her goal was to do just that. She pulled her step stool over to the sink and climbed up on top of it, her stocking covered knees slipping against her plaid skirt. She fell forward twice, banging her head on the sink, drawing a little blood. She licked it off her lips as it flowed over her face. Finally, she managed to grab her mother's sleeping pills off the top shelf. She studied the bottle as she climbed down, and began to slip into the rarely used parlor.

"Katylina!" She ignored her nurses' pleas as she turned the bottle's lid and emptied its contents onto the rug in front of her. A tall bottle of water already awaited her. She looked at the pills. There were at least twenty. The ten year old scooped up a handful, placed them in her mouth, raised the water bottle and swallowed. She blinked, and prepared to lift another handful, just as the phone rang. She happened to glance at the name on the video phone's screen. AMI. Kat dropped the pills and lunged for the receiver.

"Hello!" She asked enthusiastically.

"Kat! How are you?" Ami said coming into the screen.

"Ami?" Kat asked smiling at her blood friend

"Moshimoshi!" Nikki said, coming up behind the blood.

"Nikki, too!"

"Hai. How are you?"

Kat blinked and thought for a moment. Since when did Nikki have a twin? She shook her head to clear it for a moment.

"Kat?" Ami asked, her voice worried. Kat blinked again, finally realizing what she had just done.

"Ami… I've just done something stupid."

"What, Kat? Tell us." Nikki told her gently. Kat held up the bottle and showed them.

"How many?" Ami asked her.

"Seven."

"My god! Hold on Kat!" Ami shouted.

"I don't feel so good." Kat told them, tears in her eyes.

"HELP! SOMEONE!" Ami screamed as load as she could, hoping Kat had the volume on the receiving end turned up. The nurses came running at the yelling and saw Kat on the floor where she had fallen. One grabbed the child, while the other called 911. Nikki and Ami watched until the screen went blank. Kat's eyes rolled back and she slipped into the blackness, telling herself, if she could live, she would never ever do something so stupid again. Never ever again.  
Three hours later, she lay in a hospital bed. She glared at her reflection in the hand mirror her nurse had given to her, thinking that's what she wanted. Could she have been any dumber? She sighed, thanking the world she was ok. She had too much to live for. For always and forever. She lifted the receiver and dialed Ami's number. She had to thank her.

* * *

**Year: After colony 231**

**December 14**

**6:30 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5**

It was as if the sky new the torture and pain of the night before, because the rain seemed to continue just because she was hurt. She turned her head gently toward the window of the hospital room, having only gained consciousness an minutes before. She remembered everything. The pain, the screaming, the blood. But none of that really mattered. He had broken the promise he had made to her. He had promised never to hurt her, and now she lay on a hospital bed, bandaging around second worst wound that she had ever had. A tear ran down her cheek as she gazed out side. She wanted to melt into the rain. It came and then it was gone. Its existence was only momentary. It was beyond the good and evil in the world. Nothing and no one could touch it. The tears continued to fall down her cheeks, staining the white bed sheets. She let a sniffle loose.

"You're awake?" A hesitant voice asked from the shadows, love filling every corner. Nikki turned her head toward it, trying to get a better view of who was in her room. The figure remained in the shadows watching the tears that flowed as consistently as the rain outside. Thunder echoed overhead.

"Haru?" Nikki asked, hesitantly. If it was him, she would forgive him in a heart beat. She just wanted him back. Or to at least know what had happened to him. The figure shook it's head, and stepped into the light.

"I-I… I just can't believe you're awake. The doctors said you wouldn't come too. They said it was hopeless. They said you were as good as dead." Ami threw herself on the hospital bed, crying her eyes out. She had almost been left alone in world. Tarak had been taken from her, and Nikki had almost died. She would always have Bren and Kat, but there was something about a best friend that makes you feel like life is over. Nikki stared at her, her eyes hollow and lifeless. What was Ami talking about? She was dead. Nikki was dead. All that was left was a hollow shell. She looked at Ami's wrists. Crimson red glowed in the three even slashes on each. Ami noticed her eyes and pulled her hands back. She tried to smile and laugh, but Nikki glared at her.

Ami had no right. No right at all to take her own life. Nikki, who had been through so much, had never even tried to cause her own death. A fresh tear trickled from her eyes. Ami copied her. "He's gone Nikki. Tarak. He was stolen from me." Nikki hung her head, still refusing to speak. Ami knew then exactly what had happened the night before. So, Haru was gone too. And Nikki blamed him for her getting hurt, again. "I can't take it anymore, Nikki! I KNOW! I know what your father does to you. Bren and Kat do too. Haru didn't hurt you, so snap out of it. He didn't pull that trigger. He would never do anything, by accident or otherwise." Ami yelled at her, anger and sadness making her words intense.

"I-I-" Nikki stammered. "You knew?" Ami just nodded as a knock sounded on the other side of the door. Kat poked her head in, worry written all of her face. When she saw the two girls on the bed, she smiled.

"You're awake! Bren, she's up!" Kat bounded into the room, her face full of laughter, trying to hide how worried she had been the night before. She plopped into the seat Ami had been in. The blonde had refused to leave Nikki's side except for when she had gone in for surgery. Bren followed her and leaned against the door, the worry clear in her eyes. Not for the gun shot victim, but for both of her two friends. If she was right, not only was Tarak gone, but Haru was too. She glanced at Nikki's arm; a wide bruise from the last time she had been home was on it. Bren didn't want to give the girl the news that she had, but she had to.

"Nikki. You're dad says you can come home whenever you get out of the hospital."

"Like hell." Nikki said. Bren blinked. Since when did Nikki openly show that she hated her only living parent?

"She knows we know." Ami explained. Kat immediately drew her arms around Nikki's shoulders, holding her friend tightly.

"It's about time," Kat whispered, snuggling her face into Nikki's neck. Nikki just cried. Fresh tears spilling from her eyes. Bren and Ami put there arms around her as well. "It'll be ok. We promise. Haru mayn't be here to protect you, but that doesn't mean you're vulnerable. We'll be here forever and always. I promise." Kat told her. Nikki closed her eyes and fell into unconsciousness in the arms of her friends.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 16**

**8:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

Ami walked out of the room. Kat was still slummed against the wall inside, and she, Nikki, and Bren had spent the last few hours trying to calm her down. Kat was about a second away from getting into Isoke and shooting him. Either that or she was determined to jump him, and get him naked before he had the chance to stop her. Ami shook her head. Kat was head over heels. The same way she felt about Tarak. She sighed and closed her eyes, imagining him on her lips. Suddenly that feeling became stronger and she opened her eyes to really find him in front of her.

"Tarak?"

"I was just coming to find you." He told her, releasing her. She laid her head on his chest, inhaling his scent. He wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you, sweets." He told her calmly. She nodded, sighing, unable to summon her voice. It was one thing to meet him in a crowded lobby, another to meet him in an empty hall. This was the man she would marry. The man who loved and protected her. And yet, he was the man she lied to. She knew what would happen when he found out she would be fighting alongside him. She began to let tears fall, slowly, quietly, but they didn't fool him. "Ami? Don't cry." He told her, kissing her forehead.

"I-I'm sorry," she replied, shaking. "I-it's just I hate..."

"I know you hate not seeing me. I hate not seeing you too." He replied, kissing her again. Ok, so that wasn't exactly it, but hey, he accepted it. She nodded and looked up at him. He brushed away her tears and kissed her nose. "Better?"

"Much." she replied with a small smile. And then she pounced, her lips crashing into his.

"Slow down, silly. Is Kat ok?" Tarak asked, pushing her away lightly. Ami pouted, remembering her friend. But Kat would want her to have fun, wouldn't she? She nodded.

"But- but?"

"You should ask first. Besides, there's always later."

_If we're both still alive later._ Ami thought, sighing. She nodded. She kissed him again. "Give me one minute?" He nodded as she stuck her head into the room. Kat was sitting on the bed, face down in the pillows beating her fists and kicking her legs. She looked like a two year old throwing a tantrum. "Uh… Kat?"

"Go."

"What?"

"Go. We all know Tarak's out there. Just go."

"Are you sure?"

"Someone might as well get some." Kat said sitting up and pouting. She looked at Nikki and Bren. "You two should go too. I want to be alone for a little." Bren glared at her. "Bren, you've been waiting as long as I have, and besides, Trevet has been good. Who am I to keep you from fulfilling a promise." Kat said, grinning. Bren fully glared at her, and Kat tossed her pillow.

"If you're sure." Nikki asked.

"I am. Now scat before I change my mind." Kat told them. Tarak poked his head in.

"May I just say thank you." He grabbed Ami's arm and pulled her out the door as another pillow slammed into the wall.

Ami followed him down the hall, barely watching anything. He pulled her into his private room, leaving the lights out. "Close your eyes." She frowned at him, but obeyed, closing her tightly. He left her in the doorway and moved about the room and placed a do not disturb sign on the door. A moment later, he stood beside her again. He placed his hands over her eyes and guided her forward.

"What are you doing?"

"You'll see." He told her, positioning her. "Alright, open." He told her moving his hand. Ami's mouth fell open as she rolled her eyes over the hotel room. The bed sheets were bright red silk and covered in rose petals. Red and gold candles were scattered around the room, lighting it brilliantly. There was no other light in the room. "I take it you approve?" He asked her. Ami nodded, speechless. She wrapped his arms around her. "But before we go." He went to the bed and picked up a long white box and handed it to her. Ami frowned at him, but he insisted, handing it to her with a long stemmed red rose. She carefully opened the box and pulled out a lacy red and black top, with a sheer covering over her stomach, and nearly invisible straps. It had a black and red thong to match. Set on top of it was a gold bracelet. Diamonds and rubies alternated in its settings, spaced a few millimeters apart, and set as the centers of golden roses. Ami blinked.

"How…"

"I was saving it all for our wedding night." He told her calmly. "But…" Ami just nodded. She knew it as well, as he did. They might get to see their wedding night. But she didn't want to think about that. She smiled, and kissed him tenderly. She grabbed the box and walked to the bathroom.

"I'll be right back." Tarak smiled as he watched her close the door. He pulled off his shirt and pants, revealing red silk boxers. Ami walked back out of the bathroom in her present. Tarak's smile widened, as she pushed him onto the petal covered bed. She leaned close to the nearest candle and blew it out, giggling before she began to smother his lips with her own.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 16**

**8:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

Nikki wandered down the halls, having just visited the purser's desk in the lobby. She had found Haru's room, as he had listed her name in case of an emergency. She slowly slid her hands over the walls as she walked, stopping slowly outside the appointed room. She looked at the handle for a few moments before raising her hand and pressing it lightly against the wooden door. She heard movement inside the room, before footsteps came closer and Haru pulled the door open.

"Nikki?" He asked, seeming unpleasantly surprised.

"I- if… um, it's a bad time, I could always come back later." She told him, shyly.

"No. No. I was just on my way to get you. But this saves me the trip. Please, come in." Haru told her, placing a piece of paper on the handle. She followed him into the room. "I have a surprise for you." She titled her head as he pulled her over to the bathroom. The lights were off, but she could see little flickers. He opened the door to reveal a large room with a square shaped bathtub big enough for two in on corner. It was surrounded by mirrors on two sides. Haru had placed silver and lavender candles all along the sides. The tub was filled with hot water and lavender scented bubble bath, and he had scattered lily petals all over the edges. Nikki gasped, placing her hands over her mouth.

"You like?"

She nodded and threw her arms around him. There was no one she loved more. Before she knew it, she and Haru were resting comfortably in one another's arms in the warmth of the tub.

"I've missed you so much." He told her, kissing the top of her head. Nikki just nodded, slowly dozing off. Haru laughed and glanced at the clock on the counter. They had been in the water for nearly an hour and it was beginning to lose its heat. He gently shook his fiancé awake and stepped out of the tub. He wrapped at towel around his lower half and helped her stand up, then held a towel out for her to step into. He even dried her off as one would a child. She smiled and kissed him as he lifted her off her feet and placed her in the bed. He climbed in beside her and turned on the movie. They watched for only a few moments before passing out in one another's arms.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 16**

**8:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

Bren smiled. It hadn't been too hard to find Trevet's room. She had just followed Ami and Tarak back, then proceeded to find the one room that had a view of the pool area. Besides, it had loud music blaring inside with a do not disturb sign on the door. She turned it around and banged her fist on the door.

"Hold on! Hold on!" His voice rang, deep inside the room as she continued to bang on the wooden door. "I'm coming! Keep your pants on!"

"I'm not wearing any pants!" Bren called into him. There were sounds of stumbling and Trevet rushing to the door. He pulled it opened and surveyed a fully clothed Bren. He glared at her.

"You shouldn't get my hopes up like that." Trevet told her. Bren shook her head, laughing and stepped inside the hotel room. She looked at the young man who was only wearing a pair of grey boxers and white socks.

"What were you doing?" She said, eyeing the karaoke machine in the corner. Trevet grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know." She sat down on the bed and looked at him. "What do you want to do?"

He blinked several times. "You're asking me?"

"Well, it all depends. Did you keep your end of the deal?" Trevet nodded enthusiastically, his face entirely solemn.

"You can even ask Yul or Haru. I was entirely faithful."

Bren smiled. "I don't think I have to." She replied. "I believe you." He stared at her in shock, and all she did was laugh at him, as she kicked her shoes off. He just continued to watch, completely stunned. "And have you missed me?"

"M-more than you could know." Trevet told her, watching her fingers unbutton her pants and slip them off. His eyes were going as wide as dishes. She nodded and yawned, seating herself in the center of the bed.

"I'm cold. Join me?" She offered, smiling. Trevet obeyed immediately, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He kissed her forehead and then her lips. "Are you happy?"

"Way more than you could know." He told her, snuggling into her.

"I think I could." She kissed his lips again.

"How is that?"

"Because I've missed you, wanted to be with you, and I couldn't be happier than I am right now." She said, closing her eyes, and leaning on his chest.

"I might know a way." He suggested. She seemed to think it over for a moment, but then pulled herself over him, pulled the light cord and purred in his ear, before letting him start to unbutton her shirt.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 16**

**8:00 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

Kat sat alone in the quiet of her room, tears in her eyes. She closed her eyes and listened to the quiet music playing on the television. A soft knock sounded on the door. She whipped her eyes on her arm and sat up, to prove to who ever came in that she was ok. "Come in." She called. The handle turned and Yul walked into the hotel room she shared with Bren. She frowned, confused and angry. "What do you want?"

"I- I don't usually do this, but…" He paused, watching her face. "I-I'm sorry. Really I am. I- I've never liked anyone as much as I like you, Kat. You mean so much to me. It's just that, the way I grew up, it's hard to think of women as strong." He told her. "Can you forgive me?"

"Can you treat me like an equal?"

"I can try." He told her, edging closer to the bed. All Kat wore was a silk night gown that went to her knees. He traced her body with his eyes, and his gaze didn't go unnoticed. Kat grinned evilly at him.

"Well, that would be a start." He snapped out of his trance. "I like you more than I've ever liked someone before as well. But I can't be treated as an inferior." She told him, sternly. He nodded and turned to leave. "But, maybe we could practice?" She said, grinning mischievously. Yul turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Could you treat me like an equal in bed?" She said, smiling wider.

"B-but that would be dishonorable." He told her, stammering a little.

"I know!" Kat told him, wrinkling her nose and giggling. He raised his eyebrows to her.

"Are you kidding? You would? With me?" She nodded vigorously and he locked the door, slipping a do not disturb sign on the door.

"I want to know if you can at least treat me like an equal in bed." She told him, as he began to pull his shirt and pants off. He leapt onto the bed with her.

"How about this: HELL YES!" He lifted the covers, and pulled her underneath with him, kissing her entire face, and gluing his lips to hers. "I think I love you Kat."

"And I think I love you. Now kiss me!"

* * *

A/N: I gave you a warning. This was a bridge chapter. I needed to fill space before the next major events. Like what happens when Heero regains consciousness or when the boys found out who their backup really is? Anyway, I know three people who will enjoy this chapter, and whether you hated it or not, just keep in mind that nothing of importance was supposed to happen. Oh, and since I'm posting this at 90 minutes until midnight on June 15th, I suppose I should say Happy Birthday to me. Getting this done is my birthday present to myself. 


	12. Little White Lies

So, after enduring several months of constant begging, I finally got my act together, sat down, gave myself a dead line, and finished Chapter 12 of A Crimson Christmas (and the non existent crowd goes wild). So anyway, no long A/N today. Please, just read and enjoy.  
Oh, and Ami-chan… this one is for you as promised.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 17**

**12:04 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

A door slowly creaked open, and a slender wrist snaked its way out of the doorway and gripped the edge of it. The motion surprised the blonde girl who had, only a moment before, been casually walking down the hall. She paused and watched the strange scene.  
"Come on, let me go. I have to be going." A female voice escaped from the room, obviously belonging to the hand that held the doorway. The blonde instantly smiled, recognizing the voice.  
"But Bren…" complained a second, masculine voice.

"No buts. I've really got to go." The truth was they both needed sleep. They had training in the morning, but he didn't know that, and she wasn't supposed to know about his. The owner of the hand finally one the struggle and Osiris's pilot finally emerged, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear and her shirt only half buttoned, exposing plenty of cleavage. Her bra was clutched between her teeth as she used both hand to try and finish the buttoning.

"Bren!" Trevet pleaded from in the dark room. Bren just shook her head and stopped fastening her shirt just long enough to look up and meet Ami's eyes. The blonde gave her a questioning, or rather teasing look, but never said anything. Instead, she shook her head, snickering, and walked on towards the room she shared with Nikki. Bren's voice seemed to find its way back to her when she noticed that Ami's hair was only loosely tied back, and the shirt which she had so nicely tucked in in the front, hung out in the back.

"Oi! You're one to talk! You can't judge me!" She called after her friend. She took a step in the same direction, only to be stopped by Trevet's voice.

"I still have your pants!"

The girl froze and hung her head in defeat. "Fuck," she stated simply, turned, and walked back into the dark room, shutting the door once again.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 17**

**1:10 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

An hour later, Bren still had not returned. Ami and Kat sat, showered and cross-legged, on Nikki's bed beside her.

"You're sure it was her?" Kat asked, giggling.

"No Kat. It was just someone who looked exactly like her." Ami said taking a sip of soda and then burping.

"Red!"

"Blue!"

"Shit!" Ami pouted. "Do I have to?"

"Colors game rules. Yep!" Nikki told her. Ami pouted again but then closed her eyes and began to moan.

"Alright, who's been pleasing Ami?" Bren asked from the doorway.

"Me!" Kat said, raising her hand. Ami scowled at her and hit her in the head with a pillow.

"In that case, feel free to continue" Bren stated, coming completely into the room, fully dressed, and plopping down beside Nikki. "So, what did I miss?" She paused. "Wait… what else did I miss?" Not entirely sure she wanted to know what had been going on.

Kat tore herself away from the pillow fight she was engaged in with Ami. "Weren't we supposed to have a meeting?" she asked, glaring at Bren.

"Yes, I believe we were. But it seems out friend was otherwise occupied." Ami replied, sticking her tongue out.

"Hey, how come I had to cut mine short?" Kat protested.

"Because you remembered your pants." Nikki told her smiling.

"Yes, but… hey wait a minute! How did you know?" Bren asked, shooting Ami a look.

"Wasn't me!" Ami retorted holding her hands up defensively.

"Right, like I believe that. So really, what did I miss?"

"Jon called. We're on our own from how on. He and Diana have other things to attend to. Oh, and we're meeting the boys at 8:00 am tomorrow at an old colony military base a few miles from here. The suits are already there in the hanger." Nikki told them. Ami, Kat, and Bren just stared at her. "What?"

Bren just shook her head. "Anything else?"

"How are we going to keep the boys from finding out that we're their backup?" Kat asked, leaning forward.

"We get there early." Nikki told her.

"Use voice modifiers." Ami added.

"And if all else fails, keep Ami away from Tarak." Bren finished.

"Right," Nikki and Kat said at the same time.

"I hate you all." Ami pouted and yawned.

"Bed time then?"

"Yeah; Night Kat, Night Bren." Nikki called as the two of them rose to leave.

"Don't forget your pants tomorrow, Bren." Ami told her, earning a scowl in return as Bren closed the door.

"You don't learn, do you?"

"Nope."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 17**

**6:32 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

"I know we said early, but I didn't think you meant this early." Kat complained. Ami nodded agreement, as they glared at Nikki. It was only 6:30 in the morning and they were already at the hanger.

"How come Bren's not complaining?" Ami asked.

"Who me?" Bren asked, holding up a bottle of watermelon Bacardi. "Nikki bribed me."

"Hey, what about me?" Ami protested.

"And me!"

"Yeah! What about us? Give us some!" Ami addressed Bren.

"No!"

"What, is it special?" Ami said, sarcastically. Bren pouted, and Ami lunged at her. She and Kat struggled to get some of the alcohol.

"Hey, hey! Stop that. Do I need to get a hose?" Nikki threatened them.

"No!" All three pouted.

"Good." She handed two more bottles to Kat and Ami.

"YAY!" Ami jumped up and down. "Where'd you get these anyway?"

"Do you really need to know?"

"Good point." Kat said, taking a drink.

An hour and a half later, the girls were inside their suits, powering them up.

"Osiris here, all good to go."

"Vulcan; ready to kick ass!"

"Izanami, lets go!"

"Isoke in; I can't find the start button!"

"It's on your left,"

"Thank you," Kat said, unsure of whom had replied as they had the voice modifiers already turned on. She pressed the button and looked up as five mobile suits appeared. Haruko's face came up on the screens and Nikki's heart skipped a beat."

"I assume, you're our back up." He asked.

"You assume right." Bren replied, double checking that the voice modifiers stayed functioning.

"Right. I'm Yuy, this is Maxwell, Winner, Barton, and Chang. And you are?"

Nikki looked at her watch. 7:59 am. "No time to chat. Training starts in precisely one minute." With that said, she took off, the other three girls following after her.

"Friendly, aren't they." Trevet remarked, following. The other boys took off as well, just as the simulation started.

Thirty minutes into the simulation and things were still going well.

"One on your rear Osiris. Watch it." Nikki told her.

"Thanks."

"Need help?"

"Nope. This one is all mine." The MD suddenly fired missiles at her. "Hey! Hey! That's my bum! Hey!" Bren yelled before turning and blowing the MD to bits with her energy ax. Nikki just laughed.

"Hey Chang! Watch your ass!" Kat called blowing up several MDs that were tailing him, potentially ending the young pilot's career.

"That was close. Thanks."

"Just watch it next time." Kat snapped at him, trying to keep up the pretence that they weren't on friendly terms with the boys. Suddenly, Ami screamed, and all three of the other girls turned to watch as Vulcan barreled straight into Tarak's gundam, sending him spiraling downward.

"What the fuck?" he screamed

"Crap, who was supposed to be watching her?"

"Me!

"Isoke! Did you forget rule number three?"

"Oops."

Ami waited as silence overtook the fight. Nikki deactivated the simulation from Izanami.

"A-ami?" Tarak choked.

"Oh fuck." Ami said, powering down Vulcan and stepping out.

"So, that means!" Yul stammered.

"Brilliant deduction," Kat told him, stepping out as well. Nikki and Bren joined them.

"T-tarak, I'm sorry. Really I am," Ami told him. The pilot just landed his gundam, climbed out, and walked off. "Shit." She said, landing her own, and following. Everyone else landed their suits and stood there.

"Well, that went well." Bren said.

"What the hell were you thinking? Are you insane! You could have been killed! Do you know how stupid that was!" Haru was yelling at Nikki, who seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Yuy! Leave her be." Bren yelled. Haru shot her a nasty glare and stomped off. Osiris's pilot stopped Nikki from following.

"I was saved by a woman!" Yul muttered over and over. Kat just smirked.

"Yes you were. Want to do something about it?"

Yul just blinked and shook his head. "A woman!" he muttered again, causing Kat to start fuming.

"Bren?" Trevet asked the girl who was comforting Nikki.

"Yes?" she raised her eyebrows, daring him to yell at her as Haruko had yelled at Nikki.

"How did you do that cool barrel roll thingy?" He asked, running his fingers through his hair. Bren smiled. "I'll explain later."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 17**

**9:15 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

"Talk to me." Ami sat on the edge of her fiancé's bed, tears in her blue eyes, and yet Tarak seemingly ignored her. It's what he'd been doing for the past half hour, as he paced back and fourth in front of her. "Please," she begged.

"Y-you lied… to me." He added after a short pause, stressing the fact that it was he who had been wronged.

"You know I didn't want to; but would you have let me fight it you'd known?" Silence filled the hotel room and Tarak looked away from Ami again. "I didn't think so."

"You could get killed!"

"And so could you! For a year, I had o idea where you were, and I worried. And then, when I did know, I was even more worried. So why is it ok for you, but not for me?"

Again, they young pilot paused. "This is different," he blurted out.

"No its not. I'm a good pilot, Tarak. I've already been in a few battles." Ami protested and Tarak turned a brilliant shade of green.

"You ran me over!"

"I always run you over! I ran over you on foot yesterday; does that make me bad at walking?"

"I just don't want to loose you." Tarak told her, sitting beside her and wrapping his arms around her. She settled into his hold.

"And I don't want to lose you; but I can't ask you to stop, so please don't ask me." As her words reached his ear, Tarak fell silent, listening; really listening. He sighed, resting his chin on the crown of her head, and nodded. Ami smiled. "Thank you."

"Just don't make me regret this. And stop running me over!"

"I'll try," Ami giggled.

"Good." He kissed her gently.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 17**

**8:45 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

"Wait! Haru! Please, wait!" Nikki called out, tears in her eyes. Bren had become engrossed in her conversation with Trevet enough that she could easily escape and follow her love.

"Go away Nikki." He shot back, causing the girl to falter and immediately stop, her lip quivering. "Maybe you should marry Bren. You seem to listen to her more than you do me."

"H-haru? Surely you don't… You can't mean that?" Nikki couldn't understand him. She didn't want to understand him. She wanted to have heard him wrong. He seemed so angry. He reminded her of her father. He turned at the sound of her voice weakening and looked at her. Immediately, he regretted his words. He hated to see her face in obvious pain. The worst part was that, this time, he was the cause.

"Nikki, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just angry. You lied to me."

"Angry enough to break off our engagement?" Nikki threw back at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she struggled to pull the diamond ring off her finger, her shoulders raising and falling as she sobbed.

Haru walked over and placed his hands around hers, stopping her. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Never. I can never be that angry."

She swallowed and looked at him. "And I can pilot?" Haru paused and looked away. "Haru, I'm a good pilot. And I can't stand sitting around doing nothing while you're out risking your life. Please, I want to help. I want to fight beside you." She told him, whipping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Its not that I don't think you can pilot, cause you certainly proved otherwise today. It's that I can't imagine you a soldier. I don't want too. You're too innocent. I don't like the thought of you staining your hands with blood." He held up her white palms which he still had clasped in his own grip. Nikki looked down at her feet. "But if you really must, I won't stop you." He told her, earning a smile, hug, and a kiss.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Haru laughed. "It doesn't take much to make you happy, does it?"

"Nope." She said, linking her arm with his. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Good. You should."

Haru just shook his head.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 17**

**10:07 A.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

Kat sat on her bed, ignoring Bren and Trevet who were in deep conversation about what happened. Neither was upset with the other. Instead they were swapping tactics, praising each other, and teasing one another. She wanted to throw a pillow at them, and she was about to when someone knocked on the door. The two love birds had moved away from talking, and were now making out, paid the door no attention.

"Oh, don't bother, I'll get it." Kat mumbled, standing and walking to the door. The knock sounded again before she reached it.

"I'm coming." She shouted, not caring about disturbing Bren and Trev. Not that she did. Sighing, Kat opened the door. "Oh, Yul. It's you." She stepped out into the hall and closed the door slightly. He frowned, confusion written all over his Chinese features.

"Shouldn't we go in there?"

"Trust me. It's more comfortable out here." Kat retorted. "Did you want something?" She tilted her head, making her look adorable and innocent. Quite the opposite of the Kat who had saved his life about an hour before.

"You're not making this easy."

"Making what easy?"

Yul shook his head. "Whatever. I came to say I was… well, what I'm trying to say is… I just wanted to, um… well, thank you."

Kat frowned. "For what?"

"For saving my ass back in the simulation."

She smiled politely. "It's my job as backup. But you're welcome anyway. If that's all, I really should make sure Bren and Trev don't trash the room." She turned to walk back into the hotel room she shared with her best friend.

"Wait Kat! I'm sorry! You are strong! Very Strong. I was wrong." He blurted out suddenly.

Kat turned back around and kissed him. "Thank you. I thought you'd never say so."

"Let's go get some coffee or something." Yul told her. Kat nodded and opened her door to grab her room key.

"I'm going out Bren. I'll be back later."

"Kay," Bren responded, mid kiss.

"I'm gonna go to a bar and dance naked."

"Sounds great."

"Then I plan to be kidnapped and get married."

"Good plan."

"To Yul."

"Have fun."

Kat sighed and closed the door. "They're gone," she told Yul, who laughed and led the way.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 19**

**6:12 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

Trowa closed the blinds, and the curtains, shutting out all natural light from the hotel room. Wufei sat in a chair at the table, a cup of tea in one hand, and a book in the other. Duo paced back and fourth in the room, while Heero lay, his body heavily bandaged, on one of the four beds. One of the others had lent him a plain white T-shirt. He looked helpless, at least in Duo's eyes. 02 had always thought it would be impossible to cause major bodily harm to Wing Zero's pilot. He had imagined his best friend as indestructible.

"Maxwell!" Duo jumped from his thoughts and turned to Wufei. "He can't tell us anything until he comes to, and you pacing is doing nothing but driving me crazy." Duo just nodded and took a seat beside him. Trowa passed him a cup of tea as his cell phone rang. The braided pilot plugged it into the video screen and Ayman's face appeared.

"Hey, if it isn't the littlest Winner." Duo joked, pretending to be cheerful.

"Hello Commander Maxwell, Mr. Barton, Mr. Chang. I'm glad to see you all doing well." The young boy told them. There was no doubt he was Quatre's son.

"Same here Ayman. So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, the thing is, I… I was kind of wondering if you knew anything about my dad's location. I know I shouldn't ask, but…"

Duo made a face and sighed. "No, it's alright Ayman. If anyone has the right to know, its you. We don't know anything really solid, but we just stumbled onto a lead and we'll have to see where that takes us, ok?" Ok, so it wasn't a total lie. Technically, the lead had stumbled into them.

"Yes sir, thank you."  
"You're welcome. Any reason for the sudden inquisition?" Wufei asked him, sticking his head into the screen.

"I recently discovered my mother ad half siblings." The boy explained. "I'm hoping I won't have to bring my mother terrible news about father when I see her again."

"Good for you, Ayman," Trowa told the boy, nodding. Ayman smiled. He had always liked his father's best friend.

"Tell the others we said hello, and too keep up the good work. We trust you all can destroy the General and his plans. Has back up arrived?"

"Yes sir. And it turned out to be their girlfriends, Commander Duo." Ayman noticed 02's face and smiled. "Don't worry; the girls are really focused. They won't let anything get in the way of protecting the colonies.

"If you say so, Winner. Take care." Wufei told him.

"You too, sirs." Ayman replied, cutting the link. He sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. There was a hard knock on the door, and the boy automatically jumped up and raced for it, stepping through and closing it behind him, as the whole group left for dinner.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 231 **

**January 14**

**12:30 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3; Colony 83GKY02**

A small blond teenager pressed her face against the glass of her window, a small fever keeping her inside on the beautiful winter afternoon. She wanted to be outside, ice-skating, or sledging or something along those lines, but instead a fever of 101.2 kept her inside her stifling warm house, barely able to breath. Her face began to grow raw from the chill of the glass against her skin, but she didn't really care because it was keeping her from feeling like she was on fire. Stupid parents. Stupid sweat the fever out of you.

"Ami! Get your face off the glass! I just cleaned them and you're smudging it." Her mother called as she passed through the living room, a basket of laundry in her arms. Ami tore herself away from the cold to glare at her before returning to pressing her burning forehead against her only relief. Behind her the TV weather man was reporting how the snow had fallen perfectly the night before and that it was the best day to enjoy it, as the temperatures were supposed to drop even more and freeze it all by the next day. Her mother came back again, listening to her sixteen year old, grumbling about being inside. "I told you, you shouldn't go out without a coat on."

"Yeah, yeah." Ami sniffled, wondering what her friends were doing. She had called Nikki earlier, telling her that she had to cancel their plans for the day as she had gotten a lousy flu. It just wasn't fair. She pulled herself away from the window and leaned back against her pillows that she had placed on the couch, folding her arms over her chest. She glared at the weather reporter again, and changed the channel. Everywhere she looked, more and more people playing in the snow. Getting angry, the girl turned the TV off and lay down, still fuming and muttering to herself, even as the doorbell rang.

"Oh, hi. Come right in, she's in the living room." Ami heard her mom say, but forced her eyelids shut, pretending to be sound asleep, not wanting to be bothered. It was probably someone else who wanted to talk about how much fun it was outside. She pulled herself into a smaller ball as the person sat down on the couch beside her.

"Come now, you don't expect me to believe you're asleep, do you?" She heard a familiar voice say. Her eyes flew open as she sat bolt upright and threw her arms around her boy.

"Tarak!" She squealed, hugging him for all he was worth. "It's horrible, I'm so bored and sick."

"Aww... poor Ami. Here, I brought you soup," he told her, taking out a container from the bag he carried. He set it down on the table and kissed her forehead. "You are burning up. Sorry, baby." He said, hugging her again, not caring whether she was contagious or not. Ami just pouted and nodded, making Tarak smile. "Come, why don't you let me feed you?" He asked her. Ami glanced around, to make sure no one was watching and nodded, thankful that for once her mom respected her privacy.

Getting slightly bored, but still feeling extremely loved as he fed her the soup, Ami fished a second spoon out of the bag Tarak had brought with him, and began to feed him in turn. "To protect you from catching it," was her only, feeble excuse. After they finished eating, Tarak cuddled under the blanket with her and they watched a few movies to pass the day, and then fell asleep in one another's arms.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232 **

**December 21**

**1:54 P.M.**

**Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

"Bren, slow down. What's the rush?" Trevet asked. Several days had passed. The nine unknown fighters had managed to free the colony from the general's hold. It had been a fairly simple fight, more fireworks than anything else, resulting in the surrender of the other side. Haru had called them weak, but happily let them live. He wasn't one to kill if he didn't have to, and the others happily agreed.

"Only a few shopping days left till Christmas," she retorted, smiling as Trevet caught up with her. He ran his hand through her hair and against her cheek, leaving his thumb on a white bandage that rested there. It was slightly tinted red. Just because the mission had been a success, didn't mean that they had all escaped unscathed. Each had a few bruises and bangs. And Yul had redeemed a little of his pride, saving Kat's butt at one point. Trevet frowned, worried for a moment. "Oh stop it. I'm fine." She smiled, and paused, her eyes going over the crowd. "Oh my god. Trevet! That woman!"

"What about her?"

"She was on TV. The girls and I, we saw her. She was talking about someone who had buried her son, Todd."

"Are you sure?" Trevet looked at the woman, calculating. She stood at a bus stop, a sick little girl in her arms.

"Yes, that's Mrs. Evegao. I'd recognize that face anywhere." Trevet suddenly grabbed Bren's hand, pulling her towards the woman. "Trevet Maxwell, what the Hell!" He suddenly stopped right beside the woman.

"Mrs Evegao?"

"Yes, do I know you?" She asked, curious.

"No, but I know, or rather knew your son Todd." He pulled out a ball of cash from his pocket that he always carried and handed it to her. "He asked me to give this to you and tell you he loves you and his sister." Trevet said, nodding towards the girl. Bren and the woman were dumbfounded.

"Then you're the man that buried my baby?" she asked him, unsure as she accepted the money.

"Yes ma'am." Trevet replied, stone faced.

"God Bless y-"

"Please don't. I don't deserve it. Merry Christmas." And he turned and walked away. Bren apologized to the woman and dashed off after the blonde pilot.

"Trev, why?"

"Because I'm also the one that killed her son! Me and my damn gundam. He was just a child. He had nothing to do with that battle." Trevet yelled, crying slightly. Bren drew him into her arms.

"Shhhh… it's alright."

"No, its not. I don't deserve anything good. Everyone around me gets hurt."

"What are you talking about?"

"My sister, Todd, you!"

"Trevet, none of this is your fault." Bren told him, holding him close as he sobbed on her shoulders. "Don't blame yourself anymore. Its gonna be alright."

* * *

**Year: After colony 219 **

**September 6**

**7:00 A.M**

**Location: America**

"Class, I'd like you all to welcome Brennett Clemense." An older woman told a small group of kindergartners. They all wore the same green school uniform. "She's from the England. Brennett, take a seat there, next to Katylina." The woman told the girl softly. Bren obeyed and teacher went on rambling about vowels. Finally, the bell rang, indicating recess, and three girls came over to the new comer.

"Hi, I'm Katylina," said the small French girl she sat next to. "But please, call me Kat."

"Only if you call me Bren."

"Deal." Kat told her, smiling.

"This is Ami, by the way," Kat said, indicating to the blonde little girl.

Finally, the smallest of the group smiled and stuck her head over Ami's shoulder. "Konnichiha."

"Um… bless you?"

Kat, Ami, and the small girl laughed. "That's Nikki, she's from Japan, and she has a tendency to talk like that." Ami, who appeared to be Nikki's best friend, explained.

"Oh…" Bren said, sitting back down.

"What are you doing?" Nikki asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Sitting."

"We can see that. Why are you sitting? Don't you want to play with us?" Ami asked, giggling a bit.

"Can I?"

"Of course, silly," Kat retorted, before grabbing her and dragging her onto the play ground, the other two following.

* * *

So yeah… that chapter took a few months. I have no clue when I'll get around to writing the next one, but it's progressing. It's almost Christmas, so once I reach that, things will go faster over the next year…. Yes, that's right. The ending will be Christmas in the year AC 233. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Until later…  
Fateless Wanderer 


	13. Is there a Difference Between War & Hell

Ok, so a five month break is break enough. Time to get back to the story, because Ami was feeling sad and I want to make her happy again, and since she likes this one so much, I thought hey, what could be better than filling my time making my friends happy and giving Katlin the ability to fly big gundam suits and shoot lots of people? So anyway, I noticed I've described how the girls met, and how they separated, and how their lives continued together, but I haven't shown how they got back together, so why not start with that.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 229  
****January 12  
****7:00 am  
****Location: Colony Cluster L3; Colony 83GKY02**

Nikki yawned as she slug one of her bags over she shoulder, her suitcase clasped in her hand. She gazed up at the towers of a solid white marble building in front of her and smiled. So, her dad had finally gotten sick of her again. He'd finally sent her away to a new boarding school. Unknown to her dad though, Haru attended there. She could be together with the only one who ever protected her. Not that the high school Junior had any clue she existed in that way. Sure he liked her well enough, but Nikki didn't delude herself. Haru only took care of her like an older brother would. She sighed again and climbed the steps to the main doors and headed toward the sign in office.  
As she walked, she saw several second graders walking hand and hand, wearing uniforms. She let a small smile play over her lips as memories hit her. The last time she'd seen any of her friends was through video phone at Ami's when she was 10. Her dad wouldn't allow her to contact anyone after that, and she and Ami eventually lost contact. She'd see Haru when he was on his school vacations but the otherwise, her social life was nonexistent. She stopped at the head masters office and knocked lightly, waiting for permission to enter. A voice startled her from behind, causing her to jump.

"You're one of the new girls?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"First name?"

"Nikkimi, ma'am. Nikki for short."

The woman nodded and beckoned for her to follow. They went down a long corridor to a wing that read "High school Dormitories".

"Your room is the second on the left. Your roommate will explain everything." She handed Nikki a key and walked off in the other direction. Nikki watched her go for a moment before unlocking the door and looking around. It was obvious her roommate had claimed the far side of the room, so Nikki set her stuff on the right side desk. She sat down on her bed and surveyed her surroundings as she heard another key enter the door followed by laughter. Three young women, her age entered the room, and Nikki immediately stood and bowed towards them in respect. "konnichiha" she said, slipping into her native Japanese since she was nervous. Usually she remembered to use English but there were occasions. The three girls stopped moving and the one closest to her frowned and stepped forward, lifting Nikki's chin so their eyes met.  
"Nikki?" she asked in more of a whisper than anything. Nikki looked confused for a moment as she searched the girls face for an answer. The she blinked, trying to contemplate what she was seeing.

"Ami!" she gasped, throwing her arms over her best friends shoulders. She gazed behind the blonde and smiled. "Bren, Kat…but how? I didn't think I'd see you guys again."

"Stranger things have happened," Bren replied, taking her turn to hug her friend. Kat nodded and followed suit, brushing tears from Nikki's eyes as they sat down on the beds and began talking as if they had never been separated. A sudden knock on the door they'd left open took them out of their bliss. Ami peered over at the door and smiled as two young men came in.

"Nikki, this is Tarak Barton, and his friend,"

"Haru," Nikki breathed, jumping up and launching herself at him. He caught the sobbing fourteen year old in his arms, knowing what must have happened. Why she was there. But he wouldn't say anything, he just held her gently, careful not to upset any bruises she may have been concealing beneath her long sleeves and pants.

"I'd say it's a fair guess that they know each other," Tarak joked. Ami elbowed him in the stomach.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232  
****December 22  
****12:00 pm  
****Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

"Come on, you've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. You're coming."

"But its cold outside."

"Its winter."

"But you'll be on a sled. You'll run me over… again."

Ami glared at Tarak and then slapped him on the shoulder with her scarf. Before tossing him his coat.

"I promised Nikki, Kat, and Bren that I'd go with them when we took Ayman sledding and you're going to come."

"But Ami," Tarak protested, shoving his arms in his coat sleeves.

"No buts. Haru, Yul, and Trevet are coming too, and you don't see them complaining." Ami cut him off. "Although Kat may need to club Yul first, but anyway… You're coming. End of story."

"And if I don't?"

"You'll have to find another way to keep warm at night," Ami explained, walking out into the hall. It didn't really surprise her when Tarak followed and fell into step beside her as they made their way out onto the hotel grounds.

"Beautiful weather, don't you think?" Nikki asked, her arms draped over Haru's shoulders, standing on her tippy toes, or not on the ground at all. A huge grin on her face as the snowflakes that had arrived that morning continued to fall over her face.

"Wonderful," Tarak murmured. He glanced at Trevet, Ayman, and Bren who were all involved in a snowball fight, and jumped aside as one went flying by his head. "Watch it will you?" Ami kissed his cheek.

"Lighten up, Tarak. Its almost Christmas," she told him, smiling.

"But the mission."

"Take your mind off it a bit," Nikki told him. Tarak looked at Haru who just shrugged. Obviously he wasn't so sure about play time either.

"For once the girls are right," Yul put in as he and Kat arrived. She threw a snowball at his head. "We do need to relax a bit. If Commander Maxwell needs us, he'll contact us. Its not like we're oblivious to anything going on anyway. Even the Serpents seem to be aware that its Christmas."

"I suppose you're right," Tarak told him.

"Besides, The weather is kinda nice," Yul added before Trevet stuck a snowball in his face. "MAXWELL!"

Five seconds later Trevet was running for dear life, Yul chasing after him, his hand fumbling for something in his jacket.

"Is he going to shoot him?" Bren asked, slightly concerned.

"Nope, I took his gun," Kat replied, holding up the weapon.

"Chang never lets go of his gun willingly," Haru observed. "Come to think of it, I don't think he ever puts it down."

"I never said he knew I had it," Kat retorted.

"I don't even want to know," Tarak said, shaking his head.

"What don't you want to know?" Ayman asked, looking up from the snowman he had started to build.

"We'll tell you when you're older," Nikki informed him as she leapt away from Haru to help the boy. The others slowly joining in as Yul continued to chase the blonde pilot.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232  
****December 22  
****3:00 am  
****Location: Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

Duo sat in the chair, staring at the man on the bed in front of him. Things weren't looking good for 01 and the three others would be risking a lot by taking him to a hospital. Trowa and Wufei couldn't let their presence be known, and even if they could, there would be way too many questions. Ones they couldn't answer yet. Ones they didn't want to have to answer. If the people knew for sure that they were back helping the colonies, there could be panic. As it stood, the Serpents were only a minor threat that appeared to be being defeated at every turn. If it looked like Duo and the others were involved, things could escalate.

Quatre was still missing. Did this mean that Duo was wrong? That Heero hadn't been the kidnapper? But he was so sure. He had to admit, in a way he was relieved to see Heero completely banged up, near death. It meant his best friend hadn't done something unspeakable. Or at least he hoped not. Duo didn't want to have to kill him.  
A short cough from the bed drew his attention. He gazed over at Heero until he was sure the man was actually awake. One bright blue eye opened and looked out at him.

"Quit staring Maxwell, you've seen plenty of bodies worse off than mine." 01 snapped at him. Duo shook his head slightly and pulled his chair closer to his comrades bed.

"What happened?"

"I was beaten. What does it look like, Baka?" Heero told him, looking away.

"You know what I mean," Duo replied, standing and taking a damp cloth off the counter. He gently began to clean Heero's wounds. Heero didn't even wince as the soap and alcohol mix fell into his deepest lashes.

"They imprisoned me in a dark room, chained to a ceiling. The cut on me, and whipped me to within inches of death everyday for the past few months. I don't know what they were doing, but they said they needed blood and flesh, and DNA."

"Oh god," Duo muttered. "Trowa, Wufei. Wake up… we've got something."

Heero frowned at the violet eyed man as the two others stirred from their light sleep, and glared at him. "What? What do you know?"

Duo just shook his head. "I saw it. I saw it work. Its not perfect, but."

"Maxwell, what in the hell are you talking about?" Wufei yelled at him. Trowa calmed him down as they both pulled up chairs.

"I told you guys that I've met with Zechs, right?" Trowa and Wufei nodded. Heero just stared blankly. "Well, he said something about DNA cloning. Or more like putting someone's image on another person. Making them look exactly like one another using DNA. And I saw it happen. I though I'd been hallucinating until now, but I'm sure of it."

"What did you see?" Trowa aksed him.

"You. In a battle. I fought you. Or what I thought was you. He looked exactly like you. He sounded like you. But he was trying to kill me. Said he was allowed to change sides if he wanted to. But when I killed him, the body, it was a Serpent. And then when you and Wufei contacted me. I thought I'd imagined the whole thing."

"So you're saying the serpents have the ability to make themselves look like our allies?" Wufei asked.

"More than that, I think." Duo said. "I think they can make themselves believe they are our allies. Or at least the people who would be our allies if they we're under Serpent control."

"What are you getting at?" Heero asked, coughing. Trowa offered him some water and turned his attention back to Duo.

"Heero was their guinea pig. They took so much blood and DNA from him, I think they were actually able to create an almost perfect replica of him, down to his very thought processes."

"Which would explain why we can't find Quatre's kidnapper." Trowa cut in. Duo nodded. Heero frowned.

"Quatre's kidnapped? By who?"

"For all intensive purposes, Yuy, by you."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 218  
****July 7  
****5:00 pm  
****Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 11YVB01**

A small four year old sat huddled in a corner, her left eye swollen from what she said was a fall she had taken. Nikki would never tell the truth. Her mommy told her it would get daddy in big trouble, and the last thing they wanted was for daddy to get in trouble. If daddy got in trouble, they wouldn't have the money to live anymore. So Nikki fell. She always fell. Whether it was a broken bone, a scrape, a cut, or a black eye; the child always fell.

She watched the scene in front of her through her good eye from behind the chair behind her mother. Her daddy had just gotten home from work. And he was mad. He was also what her mommy called not in his right mind. Nikki knew it because there was a bottle in his hand. There was also a shiny black thing in his other hand. The one he kept waving at her mommy. And her mommy was crying. Nikki didn't understand what they were saying, but her mommy was crying and her daddy was yelling. Was her mommy going to have to "fall"?

Nikki shut her eyes as her father's yelling got louder. She clapped her hands over hear eyes as a loud bang filled the air and her vision went white. She opened her eyes to see her mommy and daddy running towards her, and she looked down. Her white nightgown was stained red, as were her hands. There was a hole in her stomach. She fell backwards, surrendering to the white.

She didn't know how long she'd be there, but when her eyes finally opened, she was alone in a white room, wearing a funny gown that didn't close all the way. There were tubes in her arms and wires and machines everywhere. She looked around for her mommy and daddy, but couldn't see them anywhere. But there were flowers and balloons everywhere. Sunlight came in through the window.

"What happened?" She whispered, to no one really.

"Doctors said you got shot," came a clear, crisp, know it all voice. Nikki looked in the corner of the room and saw a boy with bright blue eyes staring at her.

"What's shot?"

"Its when a gun is fired and it hits you. There's lots of blood and stuff. My daddy used to be a soldier. He shot lots of people." The boy told her matter-of-factly. "So who shot you?"

"I don't know. I fell." Nikki said. She assumed the that if Daddy would get in trouble for hitting her, he'd probably be in trouble for shooting her as well.

"That's too bad. Is bad to shot little girls. I'd hurt the person who shot you if you knew." The boy said, looking down at his feet. "I'm Haru. I'm six."

"Nikki, and I'm four," she replied.

"Haru? There you are. Get out of here," An older boy came into the room. "We're here to see mom remember. She's sick again." Haru just nodded.

"Coming Renyu." Haru replied as the older boy left. "That's my brother. I gotta go. But maybe I'll see you around." Nikki nodded as he started to leave.

"Wait, Haru. It was my Daddy."

Haru stopped and looked at her. Then he nodded.

"Someday, I'll make him pay." The six year old replied as he left the room.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 232  
****December 24  
****11:45 pm  
****Colony Cluster L4; Colony 67JPR04**

"Ever wonder why we have Christmas trees and not Christmas bushes?"

"What?"

"Why are they trees and not bushes?" Kat asked again, tilting to her head.

"I don't know. Because they are. Why are you asking these questions?" Ami responded. Kat looked at her… moments passed.

"You know, I'm really not sure."

Ami smacked herself in the forehead. "I don't understand you sometimes."

"That's ok. Don't really understand myself sometimes either." Kat replied and turned around from the Christmas tree she and Ami were finishing decorating. She winked at Yul who was sitting on the couch of the suite they had all checked into, giving up all the rooms they had. Now they had a four bedroom hotel suite all their own, with Ayman sleeping in the living room. Kat collapsed down beside Yul, snuggling into his arms. Nikki and Trevet were sitting on the two separate love seats, Bren leaning against the blonde haired pilot, while Ayman lay on his stomach in front of the fireplace, looking at an old magazine he found in the hotel lobby. Trevet kept a small laugh to himself when he noticed it was an old toy catalogue. He usually forgot the boy was only ten. Haru and Tarak were pouring glasses of wine for everyone, even letting Ayman partake.

"If you did, you wouldn't be Kat," Haru replied, handing Nikki a glass and sitting beside her.

"True. Very true."

"Although, that's going to complicate things for Haru, isn't it?" Tarak asked, pulling his fiancé close to himself. Ami just giggled as he nibbled on her ear.

"Shut it Barton," Yul snapped. "I'm perfectly content with my mystery woman."

"Ooo… you like mystery huh? I can give you a little mystery tonight if you want."

"Cool! You guys gonna play clue?" Ayman asked, his face lighting up. Everyone just stared at him for a moment.

"How is it that this kid is a genius in everything except the subject of sex?" Trevet asked, shaking his head.

"OOOO… you've all been talking about sex this whole time? Well, why didn't you say so. You just kept saying 'we'll tell you when you're older' so I assumed it was some top secret adult concept. Everyone knows about sex." The boy said matter-of-factly, standing up and taking the glass with only half a normal amount of wine, ignoring the stares he was getting.

"I'm not even going to ask," Bren retorted.

"Probably safer that way." Nikki assured her.

"So, you've all done it? What's it like, Nikki?" Ayman asked, plopping down on the couch beside her. The young woman immediately spit out the warm liquid in her mouth.

"WHAT? Me… no… no… I.." she stuttered, her face going bright red.

"Nikki's probably not the best person to ask, Ayman," Ami told him.

"Oh… alright. Well then what about you?" Ami just blinked and looked at Tarak.

"Ayman, perhaps these are questions best saved for when we find your dad." Her fiancé suggested.

"But we may not find him."

"We will," Haru assured him.

"But what if we don't? What if he's already dead?" Ayman begged, his eyes taking on a sad expression.

"If that's the case Ayman, I'll take it upon myself to personally make sure you know everything there is to know about everything. I promise," Trevet told him, nodding toward the boy. Bren turned and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "What was that for?"

"For being you."

"Alright then."

"Ok guys, time to open presents!" Nikki said, leaning toward the bottom of the tree and passing out the gifts. "This one's Ami's."

"But its not even midnight yet."

"12:00 on the dot," her friend replied, tossing the blonde the gift.

"Humor her," Haru told them, getting an elbow in the stomach.

"Christmas is the only time of year I don't have to think about my dad. I like to make it start as soon as I can." Nikki explained. Kat smiled and squeezed her shoulder.

"Alright then, pass me one."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233  
****March 7  
****4:00 am  
****Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**

Over the months that followed Christmas, the nine pilots fell into a sort of steady flow. They fought in what ever battles they were told too, often times separated from one another for weeks as orders and assignments differed. They spent any leisure time possible together, growing more like a family then the friends and lovers that they were.

Duo, Trowa, and Wufei nursed their fallen comrade back to health, and the four of them renewed the search for 04. Unfortunately it seemed as if he had literally disappeared from the universe. They got no more leads, and eventually joined their sons in the battle against the Serpent's growing forces, although they didn't tell them.

The General's main base was discovered to be located on earth. Although, the information came too late to stop the mad man's expansion. By the time the news reached the gundam pilots and their allies, The General controlled 95 of the earth's governments, and the remaining nations weren't strong enough to oppose him. Word of how dangerous the situation was finally reached the colonies ears. Many considered surrender, although most placed their hope in the pilots who risked their lives daily to protect the peace that had once existed.

Battles raged everywhere, turning the once quiet dark skies, into twisted hellish nightmares. Bombs seemed as common as fireworks on new years. No one was started to see a dead body lying in the street, a curved line etched in his skin. It was the mark of the Serpents. How they told the people they were there and they weren't going anywhere. Each battle seemed to drag on for days, filling the air with screams and the sounds of metal upon metal.

It was one of these battles that Ami and Kat found themselves in early one morning. They, Tarak, Yul, Haru, and Ayman were supposed to infiltrate a known serpent base the next night. Somehow the enemy had gotten word and forced the colonial fighters to emerge from their hiding places and face them when they weren't fully prepared. The battle wore on for hours, the serpent troops never appeared to tire. It was as if they weren't human. That they could go without sleep for days at a time. Ami was disgusted. Her mind drifted to Nikki, Bren, and Trevet who were on another colony investigating a lead on The Generals total plans. She prayed for their safety, knowing that if defense at this base was so high, it was a sure thing that the others were just as heavily guarded. An enemy suit appeared in her viewing screen aiming a missile at her, but the anger that filled her increased her reaction time and made it nearly impossible for the Serpent to even leave a scratch on Vulcan's armor. She never noticed when she was accidentally knocked back and a huge gash formed in the back of her head from a piece of Vulcan's consol that had been damaged earlier in the battle.

The young blonde just wanted it to be over. She wanted to be able to collapse into the arms of the one she loved and be surrounded by her friends. She longed for a point when she had been able to worry only about school. When a history test was the worst of her worries. Time seemed to stand still as she engaged in battle with enemy after enemy, using Vulcan's power to tear through anyone who got in her way, still ignoring the blood that ran from her scalp down the back of her suit, although she slowly began to feel a throbbing in her head.

A loud explosion caught her attention as she ripped into one of the few remaining MSs. She turned just in time to watch as Isoke exploded on impact with a large homing missile from an MS that was immediately taken out by Kizer and Gouka. Suddenly everything went silent as she realized what she'd just watched. She couldn't breath, or hear, or speak. It was as if everything ended. She jolted when a piece of Isoke's left arm hit the front of Vulcan. Ami gasped for breath, the tears finally coming into her eyes.

"No… No god… no. That didn't happen. That didn't just happen. I won't let it." She pushed herself from her chair, fumbling with the straps as she pushed her helmet over her face and dashed for the exit, blood pooling within the suit. She pushed the hatch open and leapt into the open gravity free space between herself and her friends cockpit as the salt water that poured from her eyes continued to mix with the crimson blood that poured from the gash in her head. She felt dizzy and light headed as she attempted to propel herself towards her friend, and she collapsed. Tarak gently lifted her body up with a swift move of Desu's arm. Haru brought Andros over to the last spot Isoke had occupied. Yul was already there, a limp body clutched in Gouka's arm.

"She alive?" Haru asked, his voice distant.

"For the moment." Yul may have tried to hide his pain, but Haru knew what he was feeling.

"Lets get them to the hospital."

"Right."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233  
****March 7  
****4:00 pm  
****Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**

Three men and a young boy occupied a small waiting room of a hospital that had been granted to them. The colony they were on, luckily, was still run by the colonists and the doctors asked very few questions. Yul and Tarak both sat on chairs, heads in their hands while Ayman stared up at the ceiling his arms stretched out on the arm rests. Haru stood behind them, coffee in his hands, his eyes going back and fourth between the elevator doors and the employee only doors. The doctors had been with the girls for twelve hours and still, they knew very little. All they knew is that Ami should wake up soon. She'd passed out from lack of blood. Kat, however, they weren't sure.

A small bell dinged in the room and only Haru and Ayman looked over to see the elevator doors open. Nikki ran out towards the doors that were forbidden, Trevet attempting to hold her back. Haru caught her before she made it far.

"Let me go."

"No. You have to calm down."

"Calm down! Calm down. Haruko, two of my best friends are unconscious in a hospital and you want me to calm down."

"Make that one friend," a calm voice told them as Bren tried to comfort Tarak and Yul. Everyone looked up at the doctor who'd come in. "Your friend Ami has woken up. She's still a little dizzy, but she'll be ok."

"Can we see her?" Bren asked carefully.

"Yes, but only one of you for now."

"Tarak, you go." Nikki told him. "You're her fiancé. And Kat? How is she?"

"She was bleeding internally, but we managed to stop it before it caused too much damage. She's got 5 broken ribs, her left arm is broken in 2 places, both her legs are broken, and she's in a pretty deep coma. It's a miracle she's still alive. We've done all that we can, but its uncertain now if she's going to make it through. I'm sorry."

Nikki and Bren nodded before turning to their loves and crying. Haru put his arms around Nikki with ease of practice, while Trevet was a little unsure of how to comfort Bren. Its wasn't something he had to do normally. "Tarak, you'd like to see Ami?" the doctor addressed the young pilot.

"Yes sir."

"Alright, follow me." The doctor lead him through about four white washed hallways and dozens of rooms. All that looked the same. Filled with countless numbers of electronic machines that let out a multitude of sounds that needed to be deciphered to know what was going on. It was if the hospital was a whole separate world designed to confuse the average person. Prevent them from entirely understanding what was going on, and thus ensure their ignorance until a doctor could provide as much explanation as they were willing to.

Finally, Tarak stepped through a door way and the doctor generously closed the door behind him, leaving him alone in the room save the body on the bed. Ami had her eyes shut, and her head bandaged. The only light in the room was above her bed, making her appear as an angel to him.

"Ami?"

"hmm… Tarak… oh Tarak, I'm sorry…"

"Shhh… Its ok. Not now. Its just, this is exactly what I was worried about. Any longer and we may have lost you. I'm just so glad you're alright." He told her, running his fingers along the wires and IVs she was connected to. "Are you alright?" He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, I'm alright. But Kat?"

Tarak shook his head. "Unsure. We don't know if she'll wake up. She pretty banged up, sweetie." Ami just nodded.

"Are Bren and Nikki here?"

"Just arrived. Nikki nearly broke through the doors to get to you. I should have let her come."

"No. She understands. I wanted you anyway." Ami said, closing her eyes again. "So, they said I'm really going to be ok?"

"Yeah, you just need to rest." He kissed her again as the door opened.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the doctor's ordered that the visitation is over. Our patient needs to sleep."

"I understand. I'll be back when I can, Ami."

"Promise?"

"I promise. We need to have a long talk over what caused this." Ami frowned but nodded. She yawned and closed her eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Tarak said before leaving and following the nurse back to the waiting area. Trevet handed him a steaming cup of coffee. Bren sat between Trevet and Yul, while Nikki leaned against Haru. Ayman was curled up into a ball on his chair fast asleep.

"How was she Tarak?" Bren asked.

"Good. She's alright. Just tired."

"Good." Bren nodded, looking at the sleeping boy. "Poor kid. He's had a long day."

"I'll take him to a hotel, get us some rooms?" Trevet offered.

"We'll come with, not much we can do here," Haru answered. Nikki looked at him anxiously, but one look from him and she nodded. Bren sighed and nodded. She touched Yul's shoulder as she walked off.

"You'll keep us notified?" Nikki asked.

"Of course. We'll call as soon as we know anything." Tarak responded.

"Ok then."

And she and Bren followed Trevet who carried a sleeping Ayman onto the elevator.

* * *

Morbid ending, but shrugs I felt like it. Not the longest chapter ever, but it'll do. I hope you all enjoyed and don't pester me over what's gonna happen to Kat, cause I don't know at this stage in the story, although Amy, I like the idea you gave me yesterday and I think I'm going to do it. Please review…  
Fatelesswanderer 


	14. So this is what hell feels like

Hey guys. Yes, I know it took me a year and a day (ok not literally) to get this posted but hey, better late than never. The chapter's dedicated to Amy for all her help and ideas. Love you chica. Oh, and an early Congrats to Amy and Katlin on graduating. You did it guys!

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**6:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**

Nikki stood on a small dock, the water lapping at its sides, glowing with a slight orange tone; whether from the setting sun in front of her, or because of the fifty foot high flames eating away at the ware house behind her where she could hear the shouting voices of several of her friends and partners. However, she ignored this, concentrating solely on the black figure in front of her. She couldn't make out his face, but she didn't doubt that this was The General, and he was holding her friends captive: Ami who still bleed sluggishly from the back of her head, despite that the doctors had stitched it and bandaged it; and Kat, who hung limply in his arm, still deep within her coma, unable to do anything to protect herself.

In her own hands, she clutched a cold gun, aiming it straight at his head, demanding that he drop her two friends. She could barely hear the blaze now, or her own voice. The waves slapping the wooden legs of the dock seemed deafening, as the General turned to face her, his features catching light in the glow of the flames. He smirked at her, unafraid of the gun that was level with his brain, daring her to fire. She itched to pull the trigger, wondering why she hesitated, and yet, as she finally felt her finger pull it strong enough to fire, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Ami and Kat went flying over the edge of the dock as the sound of the gun being fired covered every other sound. Pain sprung from her chest as she dropped to her knees, staring up into the cold eyes of The General, who was holding the very gun that had been in her hand, aiming it straight at her chest, the barrel smoking from the fired shot. Nikki placed her hand to the gaping hole in her chest, letting the wetness roll over her hand as she gasped in shock, and the next thing she knew she was sitting up in bed, gasping for air, patting her chest to make sure it was whole, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Haru groaned, and sat up beside her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "The dream again?" he asked her simply as she let herself be pulled back into his arms. Nikki nodded. She'd been having the same dream every night since Ami and Kat had been hospitalized. Everyone said it was stress, but she wasn't so sure. There was something wrong about the repetition of the dream. Each time it felt more and more real, the danger seemed worse, stronger. "Baby, its alright. Ami's being released tomorrow, and the doctor's think Kat's doing so much better. Now come, lets get a few more hours of sleep before someone calls with new orders."

"I suppose you're right," she mumbled, but she pulled her legs over the side of the bed, and slipped her feet into her slippers. "You get some more rest. I can't sleep," she told him, standing up. Haru just watched her, shaking his head, before collapsing back onto his pillow. He knew there was no arguing with her, so grumbling, he pushed himself out of the bed as well.

"And just how do you propose I sleep without you?" he asked, following her into the kitchen of the suite. Ayman was asleep on the cot in the corner, and Nikki went over, gently pulling the blankets tighter around him, running her hand across the boy's hair, as Haru began to put a pot of coffee on for them, and the other four adults who seemed to be sound asleep behind the closed doors of their bedrooms.

Ami had forced Tarak to return to the hotel and get some good nights sleep in case he was called away on a mission. Thus far, she'd somehow managed to avoid "the talk" he wanted to have with her. Ami knew she'd been hurt, hospitalized even, and yet, she couldn't wait to get back out and punish the people who had done it to her and to Kat. She loved Tarak, and respected him, but she wasn't going to stop.

Yul was also in his room, probably waking up in a few minutes to head over to the hospital. He was there from eight in the morning until midnight, usually. He only left her side because the others insisted he get some sleep, just like Tarak.

Bren and Trevet remained behind their door, sleeping, probably just as poorly as the rest of them. No one would be comfortable until Kat and Ami were both out of the hospital, safe and sound, and the General was behind bars. Big, thick, bars that shocked people when they tried to escape. No, even that was to good for him. They were out for vengeance, and they were all hoping that maybe they'd get the chance, the opportunity, to pay this man back for all the pain he'd caused.

Nikki slid into one of the chairs at the table, and laid her head down in her hands. "Why do I keep having this dream?" she mumbled, quietly.

"Because you're stressed, and worried. We all are," Haru responded.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be," she argued, taking a mug of coffee from him, and sipping it as Yul's door swung open and the pilot stepped out, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, which had become his new usual attire, as it was too much work to get dressed everyday to sit in a hospital.

"Don't want to be what?" he asked, sitting down beside her, and accepting a mug from Haru with an almost silent thanks.

"Stressed and worried," Haru told him.

"Join the club. Anyway, thanks for the coffee," he told them, taking one more long sip and finishing the entire mug in under a minute. "I'm headed to the hospital."

He didn't really have to tell them, but he did anyway. Nikki nodded, promising to see him there in a little. Yul gave her a quick nod and disappeared. Nikki just plopped her head back down on the table between her hands.

"What are you doing?" Haru asked her.

"Pretending I never agreed to sign up for this stupid war," she mumbled. Haru just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Is it working?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Haru laughed a bit, as she stood up and walked back into their bed room, moving as if she were in a daze. Haru just shook his head as Tarak emerged from his own bed room, not dressed, but ready for Coffee. He knew Ami wouldn't be up yet, and she'd kill him if he got there before she was. "Now where are you going?" he asked her, laughing.

"To get dressed," she replied, disappearing into the room completely. "I want to get over to the hospital."

Haru just shook his head as Tarak poured a mug of coffee for himself and slipped into Nikki's abandoned chair. "You alright?"

"Yeah, Ami's coming home tomorrow. I just wish Kat was, too."

"I know what you mean. It'd put us all at ease. Especially Yul, Nikki, and Bren," Haru replied. Tarak just nodded. "She'll make it."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**7:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68; Hospital**

Yul walked into the same white hallways he did every morning, only to be greeted by the same nurses he saw every morning, holding coffee in the same type of paper cup he did every morning. It was a routine he followed each day; unfortunately it was a routine that he wanted to end.

He walked towards the two rooms where Ami and Kat were hooked up to the many monitoring machines. He knocked lightly on room 641, poking his head in to see if Ami was awake. The blonde smiled up at him.

"Less than 24 hours," she replied when she saw his face.

"I'm sure you're more anxious than Tarak is," he replied.

"How's Kat?"

"Haven't been in yet. The doctors said they'd call if anything changed, so I've got to assume it's the same."

Ami nodded. "Go to her. Tarak will be here in a few hours. I'm fine."

"You sure?" Yul asked her; he still hadn't entered the room completely.

"Positive. Go on," she replied, settling down into the pillows. Yul nodded, and drifted back out into the hallway, letting the door click shut behind him. He pushed the door to the room beside it, 642, and turned on one of the small lamps, as he was greeted by the constant beeping of her heart monitor. He slid into his chair beside the bed, placing the book he'd brought with him on the table beside it as well as his cheap hospital coffee, lifting one of her hands into his.

"Hey sweetie. Still not sure if you can hear me, but I love you. You're so strong, I know you can beat this." He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer. She'll be fine. She has to be fine. Those were the only thoughts going through his mind as he sat back in the chair, picked up his book, turned to the page where his solid brown bookmark sat and began to read, not really following anything.

This is what he'd done every day for the past week. He woke up before dawn, downed a cup of coffee, sometimes greeting some of the others or leaving before any of them were awake, taking the bus to the hospital, checking in on Ami, and sitting beside Kat's bed until the other's got there. Occasionally there would be a conversation between him and Tarak if the other man got there before Ami was awake.

He knew later that afternoon the waiting area and Ami's room would be filled with the noise of their group. Nikki and Bren would occasionally drift into Kat's room. Sometime's he'd stay, and other times he'd give them time to be alone with her. Nothing ever changed. Ami got better and better each day; but Kat never changed. The beeping was always the same steady rhythm. The only thing he was glad about. It meant she was alive and her heart was strong, and her breathing was regular. She just wouldn't wake up.

Every few minutes Yul looked up from his book. The air around him felt wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on why. He peered out the window, wondering why it didn't seem to be getting any lighter out. He frowned, and stood up, placing the book back on the table and walking over to the window, staring out across the tops of the lower hospital roofs, as well as what could be seen of the sod lawns. A haze lay over everything, and he didn't think it was the colonies weather machine malfunctioning.

A strange buzzing sound filled the air around him. His frown deepened as his eyes darted around the landscape trying to pinpoint the exact source of the hum. A slight movement in the trees beyond the hospital caught his eye. A flash of metal, a low crumbling sound. Suddenly several objects shot out of the trees flying towards the hospital. He saw several land on the lower roofs, several fly higher, many entered windows, and one landed behind him on the floor of Kat's room.

Yul's eyes went wide as he dove at the device. He had no idea what it was, just that it needed to be out of there. He heard a shout from the room beside, remembering that Ami's window was open. She would know something was going on. Her screams for help were coupled with what sounded like stumbling. She must have been pulling herself out of the bed. Yul didn't hesitate, just picked up the device and sent it flying out the window as it gave a loud whistle. It exploded outside the window as he fumbled with making Kat's device's portable. Once her fluids, ekg, and pulse-ox were on the bed, he pulled the railings up and pulled the bed towards the door, shoving it wide open, only to see Ami on her knees, her arms dripping with blood. She'd pulled her catheters out in her attempt to escape. She was coughing hard as thick grey smoke poured out of her room, and several others down the hall. There were screams everywhere. Ami turned to look at him. "S-sm- smoke bombs," she told him, getting a nod from Yul in agreement as she struggled to her feet. He helped her, placing her hands on the railings of Kat's bed. "Why would he attack the hospital?"

"I don't know. But we've got to contact the others," he explained as they ran towards the nearest staircase which was already packed with hospital staff helping both bed ridden patients and those able to get down on their own. He and Ami looked at one another. He knew she wouldn't like what he was about to do, but he had no choice. Behind them were rooms where patients were still trapped. The enemy could be storming the hospital behind the screen of smoke they'd created. Many could already be dead. And why? Because they were there. Because Ami and Kat were hospitalized. Two members of the special force team that had been preventing their success countless times were trapped in the hospital. They were weakened. "Ami, take Kat and get to safety!"

"No! The hospital staff with get her to safety. I'm not letting more people get hurt," Ami argued.

"Listen to me right now. You're bleeding and you need to get out of here. You're the only one I trust to get her to safety. More people are going to die while we argue, and even while we don't. She needs you the most."

"I – I-"

"Go!" He shouted, pushing her and Kat towards the staff who began maneuvering them down the stairs. Ami tried to get away, but he shook his head, which caused the staff to pull her harder away. As soon as they were out of sight, Yul turned and ran back down the hall, grabbing his gun in one hand and his cell phone in the other, pressing the first button he could. All nine of them were on speed dial, so he'd get one of them, no matter what button he pushed. Kat's phone was in their room, and Tarak had Ami's. He just hoped they'd get there in time.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**7:30 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**

Tarak was just finishing getting dressed when he glanced down at the clock. Ok, so he was running a little late, but he could still be at the hospital by eight, and Ami wasn't going anywhere… yet. He couldn't wait to be able to hold her in his arms tomorrow without having to worry about the wires getting in the way. Beyond the closed door of his room he could hear Nikki and Haru sitting in the kitchen, Haru begging Nikki to wait for him and Tarak before heading over to the hospital that morning. Nikki was as determined as ever. He smirked, and pulled his last shoe on, before heading out into the living room and grabbing his keys.

"You two ready? Or are you waiting for the others to get up?" he asked, grinning at them.

"I'm coming," Nikki responded, grabbing her coat and her purse, which started vibrating, the ring tone on silent, the moment she touched it. She frowned and pulled the cell phone out and to her ear without glancing at the screen. Who could be calling that early?

"Hello? What? Oh god! We'll be there!" She hung up the phone, threw her purse down and looked at the others. "Wake Trevet, Bren, and Ayman. The hospital's under attack!" Haru and Tarak didn't hesitate. Tarak dove passed them, grabbing the key for the hanger as he ran out the door. Nikki and Haru knew he'd have their mobile suits prepped and be gone before they got there. Haru catapulted over the sofa and began banging on Bren and Trevet's door, which was yanked open a moment later by Trevet who was already struggling to pull a T-shirt over his head while Bren rubbed sleep from her eyes with one hand and shoving pants on under her night shirt with the others.

"What's the mission?" Trevet asked, as Haru moved aside to let him out. He looked around, noticing the door wide open, Tarak and Yul missing, and Nikki in the corner, pulling Ayman to his feet.

"The hospital's under attack. Yul's there now. Tarak went to get the suits," Nikki explained.

"Do we want all of them?" Bren asked as she joined Trevet in the main room, pulling on her shoes as she ran.

"I want them there. But I want a ground patrol," Haru responded.

"I agree. Ayman, Bren, and Nikki join Tarak in the suits. Haru and I can find Yul and do ground work," Trevet agreed, as he grabbed a gun from their safe which Ayman had opened. The boy was passing weapons to each of them, handing Nikki a few extras since Tarak had run out with only the small gun he had at his hip. The boy made sure Haru and Trevet were well armed, adding a few extra to transfer to Yul as soon as they found him.

"What kind of sick bastards attack a hospital?" Bren asked them as they ran out the door and out of the hotel as fast as they could.

"Obviously The General," Haru responded, as Nikki gave an involuntary shudder. She couldn't think about her dream at that moment. It would cloud her judgement.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**7:40 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68; Hospital**

Ok, things were bad. Very bad. Several of the hospital's staff had some training in firing a gun, and lucky for Yul, the audacity to break hospital rules about not having guns on the premises. Together, a band of eight, including Yul, were facing a force of 25 foot soldiers, and two mobile suits.

"What do we do?" one of the nurses asked, holding his gun at the ready as they took a breath in one of the rooms not destroyed by the grenades that had followed the smoke bombs. They'd found 16 patients dead already, and 30 of them worse off than they'd been when the morning had started. The 30 were escorted to the stair cases where the staff was getting the last few patients that they could, out. There were several bodies on the stairs, both from staff and patients. Yul just hoped Ami and Kat had made it all the way down.

"We hold; and we wait and hope reinforcements get here," Yul responded, listening for any sound he could. He knew the enemy was out there as he took a head count. Three of their original eight were missing. Probably dead. Two of the remain five were bleeding, one of those being himself. He ripped his shirt and tied it across the gun shot wound in his arm.

"The colony defense won't get here in time!" protested on of the female nurses. She was tending the other injured man's arm. Yul took a deep breath. These weren't military people. They were used to helping people, not killing them; but they'd done just that. Yul was sure that they'd managed to kill at least ten of the original twenty five.

"I'm not relying on the colony defense," he answered, looking out the window as a loud crash echoed, followed by an explosion. A third mobile suit had appeared, and the faces of the hospital fighters went pale.

"Three? What are we supposed to do against three mobile suits?" demanded a third of their five. The only one that had remained silent was the other injured man. Yul was about to answer when he heard footsteps on the other side of the room as well as the cocking of guns. Everyone fell silent, aiming their guns at the door. Yul stepped closer, so he'd have the perfect shot, waiting for the door to open.  
However, instead of a door opening a series of knocks sounded against the door. It was a risky move, but Yul knew exactly what it meant. He dropped his gun to his side, to the surprise of the other four, and opened the door, admitting two sweat and blood covered men. "Took you long enough," he muttered at the blonde one who was grinning at him.

"Sorry, got held up by a some idiots in the stairwell. They should know better by now," Trevet returned, as Haru just shook his head, closing the door behind him.

"This homebase?" he asked his friend who nodded. "And this is what we've got?"

"We lost three. Took out ten not including the…"

"Two," Trevet added. "How many were there?"

"Twenty five; so thirteen left," Yul responded.

"Well, I'd say our odds are good. The other four are with the suits." Trevet told him, pointing over his shoulder. Now there were six mobile suits. Yul smiled, relieved to see that his hope had actually come. One of the suits was already going down.

"No one messes with our girls and our colonies. Now… what's the plan?" Haru said, leaning into the group.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**8:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68; Hospital**

Bren took a deep breath and turned her attention right back to the battle. One mobile suit was down, but the second. The second was like nothing she'd ever seen before, and the pilot. Man was she freaking out.

First, the suit was bigger than anything she'd fought against before; but she had confidence they'd win out. The four of them had him surrounded. Problem was, for some reason, Tarak and Ayman were refusing to fire; her communication was jumbled due to it having been shot, so it was taking a lot to figure out what was going on. Not to mention that it all took place while dodging attacks from the gigantic suit.

"Tarak! I'm going to fire!"

"No! Y- can't!"

"What do you mean I can't?" Bren argued back.

"Bren- right, w- got - fire!" Nikki responded.

"No no no! W-e can't h- confused! - so c-fused!" That was Ayman, pleading. Bren could hear his sobs. What was going on?

"Ayman, the only thing this man is confused about was thinking we'd be easy targets," Bren addressed him.

"But its m- f-ther!"

"What?"

"It's – Father!"

"Ayman, listen to us, that's not your father," Bren proceed to explain, still dodging bullets. She couldn't quite understand how this was his father.

"It's –ot Quatre! –t's my –ther" This time it was Tarak. Wait a minute. How could this man be both of their fathers.

"Guys think! The pilot can't be both Mr. Winner and Mr. Barton at the same time?"

There was a pause in the conversation, when suddenly Ayman fired. Bren sighed in relief as Tarak's missle was next, followed by Nikki's, and then she let one loose herself. It was enough to knock the mobile suit off balance. They had him now. Bren grinned to herself when a bunch of screams reached her ears. "What now?" she grumbled, exasperated looking at her right side view screen. "Shit! Nikki you're closest, can you go?"

"On it!" was the response. Bren didn't waste time watching Nikki catapult from the back of her MS, sliding down the inside of the left leg. Instead she turned her attention completely to finishing off the mobile suit and the deranged, shape shifting pilot.

Nikki reached the ground and immediately began running to the group of unarmed patients. They'd been the last group, unable to get away before the general's forces had hit. Most were conscious, save one or two, who Nikki figured were already unconscious in the hospital. Her eyes fell on one of the unconscious faces. Kat! Oh god no! Her pace increased as she ran to her friend, dropping to the side of the bed. She checked her friends pulse, satisfied that she was alive and continued running, until she reached the front of the group as one more scream rang through, followed by a gun shot. Nikki watched as a security guard who was trying to protect the patients feel forward, a gun shot through his head, killing him instantly. Smoke for the firers caused by missiles, bombs, and grenades made it hard to breath, but she had to keep going. There was a group of two armed soldiers closing in on the patients.

She hid for a moment, as they didn't seem to be looking to kill each and every one of them. Instead they appeared to be looking for something in particular. She realized what was happening when one of the patients slipped toward the back of the group where she'd seen Kat. Nikki caught a flash of blonde hair; obviously the soldiers saw it too, and began pushing their way through. Nikki bit her lip, not liking what she was going to have to do, but had no choice. She trailed the two soldiers and used every ounce of training she had to grab the slower soldier around the neck, flicking her wrist knife across his throat and dropping him. Throw up later; throw up later. She'd never actually killed someone with the knife before, and very rarely had she shot someone outside a mobile suit where she could see it all. But for Ami and Kat, she would.

She continued trailing the remaining soldier who hadn't realized he was alone yet. He'd reached the two patients; Ami was standing in front of Kat, tears in her eyes. She knew there was nothing she could do, but it didn't stop her from protecting her unconscious friend.

"So you want do die first?" he asked her.

"Go to hell," Ami returned.

"So, the little princess has spunk. Time to say goodnight," he told her, aiming the gun. Ami heard it fire, as she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for pain. When it didn't come, she cracked her eye and then opened both of them to watch the soldier with a bullet hole through his head, fall forward, revealing Nikki behind him, her gun smoking, a deep glare on her face, the gun aimed where the soldier was.

Ami sighed and rushed forward, catching her friend as she fell forward, tossing up what ever bit of breakfast she'd had that day.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**8:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68; Hospital**

Seven to eleven. Trevet would say that those odds looked good. And yeah, he could convince Haru and Yul of the same, but the four civilians were a different story. All four had looked at him like he was crazy, insisting they attack, when they discovered the eleven soldiers discussing a plan for finding and killing "pigeon 1" and "pigeon 2". Apparently their two companions had gone to take care of them when it was discovered that their targets were still on the grounds. They figured the remaining mobile suit would be able to keep the four pilots busy, and the remaining eleven could take on the trio of pilots on the ground, and their "pathetic" followers.

The hospital staff didn't take to kindly to being called pathetic; in fact, they were furious and determined to kill each and every one of them. After all, these men had taken innocent lives to get to their "pigeons" as well as the lives of some of their co-workers.

"Plan?" Haru whispered to Yul.

"We've got to draw them away, bit by bit. There are too many for us to take as once."

"Agreed, but how?" Trevet asked, looking around at all of them.

"Distractions?" suggested the female nurse.

"Ok, lets do this."

Several minutes later two of the nurses were in a closet, making as much noise as they could, and praying this would work. Three of the soldiers looked at one another, and then at their commander.

"Go, could be our pigeons trying to hide. But, be careful," he told them. The soldiers nodded, and went off to investigate. They passed the first cross in a hallways, when the first part of the trap occurred; Trevet slipped a cloth over his mouth, with one hand, and stabbed his heart with the knife in the other, letting him fall. At the second crossing, both Yul and Haru threw their own belt knives directly threw their throats, instantly killing them.

"Thank god for all that martial arts training," Haru muttered.

Yul looked at the bodies on the floor. "My dad didn't teach me that," he returned. Haru raised an eyebrow. "Mom did."

It didn't take long for the soldiers to get curious. There were eight left. Time to take the plan into full action. The two nurses continued to make loud noises, rousing the soldiers attentions. The only way this was going to work was if they all got clean shots.

The fact that their three friends hadn't come back yet was very unnerving. They were all a bit antsy. Suddenly the sound of a bed pan crashing to the floor caused them all to jump, and the entire group went to investigate this time, not leaving anyone behind.

It was exactly what Trevet, Yul, and Haru needed them to do. The three emerged from their respective hallways and using all of their abilities of stealth, followed the soldiers silently. The eight men were crowded around a transport bed. On it was a patient hooked up to several devices, while an exhausted looking doctor stood beside them. It reality this was the male nurse and one of the hospital security guards. It was the woman and the injured man in the closet making noise.

"What's going on here?" the commander asked, as two of his men got closer to the "patient" and "doctor".

"Please! We weren't able to get out. We've done nothing. I've got to get this man to a surgery table," the "doctor" pleaded. The commander frowned but nodded toward to of his men.

"Escort them to surgery. We came for the "pigeons".

"But the General…"

"I'm not the General. And I will not knowingly kill them. Go; now." The two men took off to do as they were told. As soon as they disappeared from site, the commander began to give new orders, still gazing in their direction. His speech was cut off by one very loud gun shot, pain filling his chest. He only had a second to turn and see three men each with two guns in their hands, all smoking, and all of his men down on the ground. The man who'd shot him was gazing at him, his sleek black hair matted with sweat, his dark black eyes fierce. And then the commander saw no more.

The two soldiers who'd gone off heard the gun shots, but the moment they turned back to help their unit, their charges carried out the last part of the plan, and both soldiers went down like bricks, leaving two very nervous civilians. "Lets just hope every one else did well, and those that someone took out the two soldiers that went after their pigeons," the nurse said, helping the security guard off the bed.

"Come on, lets get the others from the closet."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**8:30 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68; Hospital Grounds **

"At least hospital batteries are well charged," Nikki murmured as she and Ami finished helping the last of the hotel patients to an underground safe house. She glanced over her shoulder at the last of them, Kat, who despite everything that had been going on, remained in her coma.

"You'd think she'd be upset to miss all the action," Ami joked a bit as the two of them turned to get her to safety as well, agreeing to go back and bury the bodies that littered the ground around them.

"Ami- I shot that man in the head. I killed the first with my bare hands."

"I know; but you did what needed to be done. You did it to save me and Kat."

"That's no reason," Nikki argued, as Ami threw her arms around her friend again.

"Listen to me; those men would have killed you if you hadn't done what you did. They would have killed you, and me, and Kat. And then what would have been left to stop them from killing all these innocent people?"  
"I suppose you're right," Nikki replied, looking down at Kat and brushing her hair out of her face. "She looks peaceful," she muttered, looking up when she heard a distant yell, seeing three men walking towards them, followed by four of the remaining hospital staff. A smile swept over Nikki's face as she ran toward her fiancé and threw her arms around his neck.

"I take it you missed me?" he asked her, kissing her forehead and practically carrying her back over. Ami had immediately enlisted Trevet to help get the four employees down into the shelter, while Yul went to Kat's side.

"More than ever," she replied, kissing his lips, and turning to look at Yul. "She's the same Yul, no better, no worse."

"Well, a bit dirty, but that's from all the soot in the air," Ami corrected, giving Trevet and Haru each a hug. "Everything quite inside?" she asked them.

"We accounted for twenty three of the twenty five foot soldiers," Haru told her.

"Well, your fiancé got numbers twenty four and twenty five," Ami said, pointing over her shoulder at the two bodies on the ground. Haru looked a Nikki, and then silently pulled her into the strong hug he knew she needed.

"I'm proud of you," he whispered. She just nodded, nuzzling against the crook of his neck.

"Hey! Can we join the party?" A loud voice called over the roaring flames. The fire department had yet to arrive to put out the flames, but they could hear the sirens in the distance. Had it not been for Kat still needing medical attention, they wouldn't have been there. The less time they spent with the colonists, the better. Ami waved back at Bren as she, Tarak, and Aymen approached the group. She resisted the urge to run towards him like Nikki did, but really only didn't because she was down to her last bit of energy. Her arm had been bandaged when she'd reached the bottom of the stairs, but they were both heavily stained with blood due to her bleeding from tearing out those catheters. Yes, it'd been a stupid move, but hey, they hadn't had any time to waste. Instead she was just content to lean back against Kat's bed, and watch as they got closer. Six feet, five feet, four feet, three…  
The surroundings were filled with one of the loudest explosions Ami had ever heard in her entire life. She felt her body being propelled against gravity, as she strove to cling to the metal railing of the hospital bed. She felt scraps of metal and stone ripping into her skin; her entire body felt like it was on fire, as her screaming voice mixed with those of her companions. For a moment everyone of them disappeared from her site as dust and debris filled the air and her field of vision. And then everything went black.

* * *

YAY cliffies, and I have no clue when the next chapter is going to take place… because I'm not sure where I'm going with it completely yet. Love you all, and thanks for the help again, Ami-chan. 


	15. Because He Hated Them

So I can't believe it really took me nearly a year and a half to update this. I am not letting it die. Not after this chapter. It took me so long to write it, but I'm actually proud, and kinda glad because I think I've grown at least a bit in my writing which will really give this chapter that extra punch. I thought I was going to wait until I had everything finished and update all at once, but I really wanted to put this piece out there. So really, enjoy.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**9:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**

Dusk settled slowly onto the colony. Somewhere in the distance, sirens blared, carrying survivors of a huge battle from the destroyed hospital grounds to the shuttle port to be transferred to a safer location. Bodies of the dead littered the ground, and a few small fires still blazed as firefighters did their best to clean up the area. On one side of the hospital rescue crews worked to find those who might still be alive.

But none of this took place on a desolate side of battle ground. Here the ground was littered with pieces of building and mobile suits. Here the word death was printed in bold letters. There wouldn't be any survivors here, as here was where the final bomb had landed, shattering everything around it as it exploded on contact with the ground, either destroying it's victims on contact or burying them so deeply under layers of debris that they slowly suffocated.

However, it was here that a single metal bed rail shock slightly, shuddering as something pressed against it. It creaked loudly against the stillness of the surrounding area, before sliding forward and down a mound of debris. One pale, weak arm appeared slowly, followed by a second as their owner appeared to struggle to pull herself out from under the ruins, coughing hard as dust and soot entered her lungs. The small, brown haired, grey eyed girl pushed herself clear of her trap, and leaned forward on her knees. Her breath came in labored bursts as she gazed around her surroundings.

She remembered a battle; she remembered a missile aimed at two of her allies; and she remembered rushing forward to beat the missile. She recalled the feeling as her entire body heated to extreme levels and her mobile suit exploded around her. "I-iso-ke," she muttered, her lips cracking from dryness. Yet somehow, she was kneeling, alone, bruised, dirt covered, and sweaty, on the ground littered with bodies of innocent people and soldiers. Something was wrong; or at least more wrong than it should be.

A cough on her left drew her attention. She saw a beam shift slightly and then topple to the side as the body beneath it crawled to his hands and knees laboriously. He started looking around him, fear in his eyes. They softened for a moment as they fell on Kat, who by this point had tears in her eyes, unsure why she only saw Haru and what had happened.

"Y-yuy," for the first time, Kat heard the sound of another human being's voice besides her own. Both she and Haru searched frantically until they found the source. Haru struggled to stand, and managed to stumble over to the last remaining wall of the hospital. A mound of dirt, soot, and rubble had fallen burying nearly all of Trevet alive, and successfully trapping him within the ground. Only his face and one of his feet were visible. His breathing was coming in short gasps, the weight of the debris crushing down on his lungs.

"Hang on Maxwell," Haru shouted, his energy slightly renewed at the sight of his friend in danger. He began digging frantically, while Kat reached his side.

"Hurry. I can feel someone squeezing my leg. Someone's alive in here," he managed to get out." Haru stared at him. Trevet was barely managing to keep himself alive and yet all he could think about was rescuing the unknown person gripping his leg beneath the collapsed building. Haru never stopped digging, but began to dig faster at Trevet's urging, the fear apparent in his voice.

Slowly, but surely Haru and Kat pulled him free, and with him, a nearly limp Ayman, who instantly took a huge breath, then coughed out all the dirt particles that had settled in his lungs. Trevet instantly hugged the boy to his chest as Ayman's breathing steadied with his own. The small boy's closed eyes fluttered open and looked into Trevet's questioning ones. He let a small smile grace his lips.

"Air hole," he muttered, before letting his eyes close again in exhaustion. Trevet rested the boy's body against the wall and then stood, helping Kat to reach her feet as well. Haru was already standing, using the wall to steady himself. His eyes had resumed their frantic feared look as he searched. This couldn't be it. They couldn't be the only ones to have survived. And if they were, where were the bodies of their friends? Where was Nikki?

"HARUKO!" His head snapped up in response to someone screaming his name. Someone was running across the battered ground toward him, stumbling in weakness. He stared as she came closer until Ami collapsed into his arms sobbing. Her left arm was bleeding once again, and there was dry blood on her forehead that hadn't been their before the explosion. He held her shaking body, as he looked to where Trevet was seated with Kat who held Ayman in her arms. Trevet was calmly explaining what had taken place in the past few hours, telling her it was a week after the battle she remember. The hospital had been attacked. She'd been in a coma. And Isoke really was gone. They weren't able to salvage enough to rebuild him for her.

Haru turned back to the blond girl in his arms. He used his hand to make her look at him. "What happened?" he asked, seeing the horror in her eyes.

"Serpents. Serpents took them," she blurted out, before sobbing once again. Try as he might, Haru couldn't get her to tell him any more.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 15**

**night**

**Location?**

Nikki stood in a field of tall grass. One hand pressed down on the sun hat she wore, trying to keep it from flying off. The other was clasped in Haru's. He stood beside her, smiling down at her. In front of them was a lake.

"I'll race you," Haru told her, smiling cheerfully. He was no longer the twenty one year old she was holding hands with. Instead beside her was a ten year old boy wearing a pair of old swim trunks. She frowned at him, confused. "What's wrong? I'll give you a head start," Haru suggested. She suddenly realized she was looking up at him. She was eight years old again, wearing a bathing suit under a long sleeve shirt. Her legs had a few minor bruises on them, but she didn't care about any of this. She smiled and nodded, taking off running towards the lake. A moment later, Haru raced past her. He tripped over a tree root and disappeared underneath the tall grass. "Owww…" he groaned, as Nikki skidded to a halt. He slowly stood up as the sky grew dark. He was older now. Maybe fourteen, wearing a pair of pajamas. It started to drizzle as she noticed that she too had aged to keep up with him. She was wearing a long white, soaked nightgown, although it still wasn't raining that hard. She felt a slight pain in her head, as Haru stared at her, concern written on her face. She placed her hand on the back of her skull, and then pulled it away, watching as red blood collected on it.

Nikki gasped, and at the same time, lightning that had been playing in the sky struck the spot directly in front of Haru. She shielded her eyes from the blinding flash. When she could see again, Haru stood in front of her, back to the age of twenty one, wearing his piloting suit and helmet. She was dressed identically, her helmet clutched in her hands.

The spot where the lightning had struck began to smolder, and suddenly a raging fire appeared between them, moving steadily towards Haru. Nikki threw her helmet aside, dashing towards him, screaming his name over and over again. The flames surrounded him, until she couldn't see him anymore.

She slowly opened her eyes. She was currently chained to a cement wall, by both her legs and arms. Her head hung limply on her chest. Dried blood ran from the left corner of her mouth to her chin, as well as a gash in her forehead. Her right ankle was twisted in an odd direction; she didn't doubt that it was broken, but at least the pain had numbed. "Kuso…" she cursed under her breath, spitting a bit on the floor.

"You're awake," someone said to her. She slowly raised her head so she wasn't staring at her bare feet. She looked around and found Tarak hanging on the right wall, perpendicular to the one she was on. He looked bruised and beaten, and had been bleeding at some point from something. However, he was completely calm, just watching her quietly; and he was only wearing boxers. A chill went through her body as she slowly realized that she too was nearly naked, wearing only her bra and underwear. Sick bastards.

They weren't alone. Yul on the same wall as she was, between her and Tarak, his eyes closed. For a moment Nikki thought he was still unconscious, but then she heard the muttered whispers of a chant. He was meditating or praying. She wasn't sure. The last occupant of their cell hung on the wall opposite Tarak. Bren, unlike Yul, was still unconscious. The final wall held the door to the cell, which allowed the only light into the small room. "You ok?"

"I think so," Nikki replied. "What happened?"

"Bomb," Yul replied. "I think the serpents captured us once we were unconscious."

"The others?"

"No clue," Tarak told her. "We both woke up here." He saw Nikki's face falter. "Be brave. I'm sure he's alive somewhere. He wouldn't want you to be scared."

Nikki nodded slowly. "Ami either. They're together, Tarak. I'm sure of it. Kat too," she replied. "And Trev, and Ayman. They're all alive. We have to have faith."

"Faith?" The voice that cut into their conversation was cold. All three's heads snapped up, to stare at a man who had quietly invaded the cell while they were talking. He was a tiny man, with red hair and green eyes. Despite never seeing him before, they knew exactly who it was. The General sneered at them. "I hate to tell you, but if they really were alive do you think we would have left them behind? Your friends are dead."

"Kutabare," Nikki mumbled, too low for him to hear, although Tarak heard her well enough.

"Fuck you," Tarak cursed. The General just smiled. He walked towards Tarak, and placed his fingers around the young man's chin hard enough to draw blood with his nails.

"Insolent boy," he spoke. "Maybe you'll be first." He tossed Tarak's head to the side, and slapped it back with the other hand, causing Tarak to bite his tongue, drawing blood, which he coughed onto the floor. Nikki's face showed fear, while Yul remained, calmly and coldly staring at the man. "Your fathers had the same spirits. I won't make the same mistake twice."

"What do you know of my father," Yul spit out, the words rolling off his tongue like acid.

"I know what a lousy, low, worm of a colonial dog he was. He runs instead of fighting; leaving little puppies to do his job for him."

"Why you ass-"

"Shut up!" The General cut him off. His entire demeanor had changed in a heart beat, leaving Yul stunned as the man turned to leave, stopping for a moment in front of the still unconscious Bren. "She'd do well to stay asleep. I've got plans for all of you."

He brushed his finger against her cheek, a strange look in his eyes. It disappeared nearly as quick as it had appeared, and in a moment, he was gone, leaving the four alone once again.

"Trevet," Bren muttered, slightly stirring from her sleep. Her eyes slowly blinked up. Somehow she wasn't really surprised to find herself vertically attached to a wall. She looked first at Tarak, then Yul, and lastly at Nikki beside her. "Not Trevet?"

"No," Nikki responded.

"Who?"

"Do you want to know?" Yul asked her. Bren stared at him for a few minutes, getting several, very unpleasant ideas in her head about who had touched her. She shuddered against the stone wall.

"Never mind," she sighed.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**March 14**

**12:00 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3; Colony 21QPB47**

Flashing lights; multicolored explosions; screams and cries of death; the smell of burnt flesh. All this surrounded him, and yet he didn't care. He could stand this. He could stand the destruction of other human lives, so long as they deserved it. And even if they didn't; they were getting in his way – blocking his path to those who did.

Sweat poured down his cheeks and forehead, getting in his eyes as he took out three more guards. This had to be lead number five hundred and three and yet they were no closer to finding "Heero" and Quatre.

Sighing as he watched the last of his enemies fall dead to the ground, he decided to talk to the others about what to call the kidnapper. He wasn't overly excited about referring to the psychotic clone as "Heero". Actually, it pissed him off having to share an identity with the man. Sure he'd never been very close to any of the other pilots, but he would never hurt one of them… ok, well, maybe he would hurt Duo, but Duo usually deserved it.

"Heero!"

"What do you want Maxwell," he responded, as the braided pilot bounded up beside him. It would never have been guessed, that this man was a father of teenagers, or well, a teenager and a twenty year old. He seemed way more like the teenage boy he'd been when they first fought against the Alliance and Oz.

Duo sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he examined the dead bodies in front of Heero and the smoking guns in his hand. "Dead end," Duo told him.

"Hn," Heero just stared straight ahead. Once again, they had hit a brick wall. What was with this guy? He wasn't just similar to him. He was him. It was beginning to get annoying and creepy.

"I'm sorry."

"For once, it's not your fault. Come on Maxwell; let's go find Trowa and Wufei. Then I say we pay a personal visit to The General."

"Personal?"

"No one clones me and lives," Heero sneered.

"It's suicide," Duo reminded him.

"That why you three sent your sons in?; Too chicken to take care of it yourself?"

"Your son is there too," Duo reminded him, glaring. He still clutched Heero's old gun in his hand. Heero never asked for it back, so he never gave it back. He'd gotten used to having it; unfortunately, now he knew it really had been Heero speaking to him; Or at least his imagination, taking Heero's form.

"You shot his girlfriend and kidnapped him. What was he supposed to do? By the way, does he know you shot her?" Heero asked, as they walked back to the outer edges of the estate they'd just finished demolishing. They could see their mobile suits standing off in the distance a bit.

"He does," Duo replied.

"And you're alive?"

"Barely," came the answer. Duo rubbed the back of his neck as if remembering an old pain. Actually, Haruko had tried to break his neck. Duo managed to get the hilt of his gun positioned correctly and jabbed the younger man in the gut to make him release his hold on him. After that, he'd made sure to lock the door when ever Haruko was around, and now, a year later, he still didn't trust that Haru wouldn't try and kill him as revenge.

"You're lucky," Heero told him simply. "Had it been me, you'd have been skinned to your bones."

"That what you plan to do to the General?" Duo asked him. Heero got a dangerous look in his eyes as a smirk took over his features.

"I plan to do worse, Maxwell. So much worse."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**May 23**

**11:30 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**

"You leave her food again?"

Kat was sitting at the table in the kitchen area of their hotel room. She looked up and accepted a coffee mug from Trevet as the young man sat down beside her. She was scanning a map of the colonies, trying to pin point some place they had yet to be. Somewhere where they would find The General.

"Yeah, but I don't think she's going to eat it," Kat answered back. Trevet just nodded and looked over her shoulder. "Damn it. The only way to find this man would be to think like him. And I can't."

"We don't expect you to," Haru answered coming in from outside. He shook off his umbrella and leaned it against the wall beside the door. "It's coming down hard out there. How is she?"

"No worse, no better," Trevet answered.

"And she's still not talking," Kat added. "It's all I can do to get her to even eat a bit."

"Keep trying."

"How are the suits looking?" Trevet asked when Kat just nodded and went back to looking over the maps. It had been two months since their friends were taken and absolutely nothing had occurred in those two months except that they had completely lost contact with Trevet's father, leaving them to their own devices.

"Poor," Haru replied. "Ayman's still their working. Hopefully we can get them up and running again. Without Tarak, things are progressing slowly."

"Don't let Ami hear you saying things like that," Kat muttered. "God damn it! I can't deal with this," she thrust the map away from her. "I'm going for a walk."

"Take a gun," Haru called to her. She waved him off, pulling the one at her side slightly out of its holster, before grabbing his discarded umbrella and slipping out the door.

"Think we should go over what Ami said again? See if there are any clues we're missing?" Trevet asked him, still staring at the map Kat had been looking over and comparing it to the notes the group had been jotting down.

"Suppose so," Haru agreed.

"Ok, well, she…."

* * *

_**Year: After Colony 233**_

_**March 14**_

_**9:20 am**_

_**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**_

"_Ami? Ami look at me. Ami, Serpents took who?" Haru asked her over and over again. Trevet and Kat were standing behind him, Trevet holding Aymen sound asleep in his arms, his body limp, but alive. Haru pushed Ami away from him slightly, willing her to look him in the eyes as she sobbed. _

"_They… they… and… he…"_

"_Shhh… come on, speak to me. We've been through worse." Ok so truth be told they hadn't, but just now that wasn't what the sobbing young woman needed. What she needed was not to have been the only one holding the answers so desperately needed. "Take a deep breath. You have to tell me what happened." _

_Ami tried again, opening and closing her mouth as tears flowed down her cheeks. Her entire body shook, and her eyes darted around as if she was searching for something that wasn't there._

"_Ami, for their sake, what do you know? Ami, for Tarak," Haru told her gently. "And Nikki, and Bren, and Yul. You have to tell me."_

_Ami nodded. She drew deep breaths as Kat came and wrapped her arms gently around her friend. "All of them. The Serpents, no… the General. I- I saw him. After the explosion. I wasn't standing, but I wasn't buried. I heard voices. I stood up slowly and I saw him. He and his men; they were taking them. Bren barely looked at me. I heard what the men were saying as they chained them up. They said everyone else was dead and then he saw me. He saw me holding my gun and aiming it at his head and yet I couldn't shoot. Not when he held Tarak like that," Ami stated as she started sobbing again._

"_Shhh… It's ok, Ami. It's all going to be ok. Go on." Kat whispered in her ear, stroking the blonde's head. She hugged her friend close._

_Ami nodded again, forcing herself to talk through her tears. "He told them. He told them to shoot 'it' and they fired at me. I still don't know how the bullets didn't hit me, but I laid down and I played dead. I played dead so they wouldn't take me too. I had to hope if they were wrong about me, they were wrong about someone else too. But I shouldn't have. I should have gone with them."_

"_No you shouldn't have," Trevet told her. "You shouldn't. You did well."_

"_There's more. I couldn't hear much. But I heard whispering. I couldn't… I don't know exactly where. But they were going to a colony, with the last three codes Y02. But there could be hundreds. I'm sorry I didn't hear more."_

"_No, you did really well. Really well. You narrowed it down from thousands," Haru told her. Ami just nodded and slunk forward, fainting from exhaustion in Kat's arms. Kat just frowned up at Haru sadly as he took the blonde into his own arms. "Lean on me," he told Kat. "We've stayed here long enough."

* * *

_

**Year: After Colony 233**

**May 23**

**11:45 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**

"Y02 is not a lot to go on," Trevet reminded Haru.

"I know it isn't," Haru replied. "But it's better than nothing. I just can't see what's so important about it."

Behind them, the TV turned on, causing Trevet and Haruko to turn around, only to see Ami standing with the remote, watching the news.

"Ami?" Trevet asked her. She turned to look at him for a moment and then turned back to the TV which talked about the fact that the colonies had been receiving constant warnings from the General, but that so far there hadn't been any physical attacks.

"It's alright. No attacks," Haru told her.

"Yet," she replied. It was the first words she'd spoken in two months. Haru just shook his head, and turned back to the maps. "Are we mobile?"

"Not quite. Ayman's working," Trevet told her. He, like Haru, wasn't going to make a fuss over her speaking, fearing they might send her back into silence. It was something the four had agreed upon.

"I don't like it," Ami told them, sitting at the table beside Haru and gazing at the map. "I don't like waiting."

"Until he makes a move, there's nothing we can do," a new voice added to the mix. Ayman and Kat walked back into the room.

"Hey guys. Feeling better Kat?"

"A bit less frustrated, yeah." She turned and smiled at Ami. "Hey you."

"Hey."

"Anything yet?" Ayman asked the older men at the table. Both of them shook their heads. Ayman sighed. "I'm going to head to bed. I managed to find and fix some of the problems, but I'm going to need some parts to fix the rest."

"We'll go shopping in the morning," Trevet told him. The boy nodded and let himself into the room he, Trevet, and Haru shared in the two bedroom apartment they were renting.

"He did well," Kat told the others, taking a seat next to Ami. "I just wish we were doing as well."

"We all do," Haru confirmed.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**May 27**

**7:42 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3**

"Heero! For god sakes, do you even know where we're going?"

"No," the man answered Duo, who threw his arms up into the air. The four had commandeered at shuttle and were now on their way to who knows where, their mobile suits in the hold.

"Duo, just relax and leave him alone."

"Sorry, not so keen on relaxing, Trowa. Not when my son is probably dead."

"It'd be your own fault," Wu fei reminded him. Duo just glared at him and folded his arms over his chest and settled back down into his seat beside Heero. Heero just rolled his eyes.

"You think they killed them all?" Duo suddenly asked.

"As much as I would rather they had, it's doubtful," Heero answered. Trowa and Wu fei nodded.

"If any of them survived the blast," Trowa began, but he shuddered before he could finish. "Well, we heard what they were doing to Heero."

"And that was the easy part. It's the part that comes before that gets you," Heero added to the conversation. Wu fei just sat quietly listening to the other men talk. He didn't like the idea of not knowing just as much as his friends didn't like it, but he couldn't do anything about. At least not until they found the General's hiding place, or until they found their prey. And damn it, that clone was going down.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**June 10**

**1:00 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster ?; Colony ????Y02**

"God! Oh God! Please! Please just stop! Just stop!" Bren whimpered over and over again in her sleep. Nikki lay beside her on a slightly padded bed stained with smears of her own dry blood, her arms and legs chained down and unable to help her friend, save the quiet calling of her name.

"Bren. Wake up. It's over; they've stopped." Her voice finally cut through what ever nightmare her friend was having, and Bren's eyes shot open as she tried to jerk forward. Her arm restraints kept her solidly in place, although she heard something pop as she strained against them. "It's over," Nikki told her again, even though she knew it probably wasn't.

Both girls lay on identical cots on separate sides of a small four by four cell. They were only removed occasionally for two things; the first being collection. The "doctors", or whatever they called themselves took pleasure in removing all of their clothing and scrapping cells off their tender vulvas. They usually didn't wait long enough for their wounds to heal before getting another collection either. Bren whimpered slightly. She'd only been returned to the cell a few hours before, withering and passed out from pain. Nikki could only wince as half conscious screams of agony pierced her friends half sleep. The only other time the girls left the cell was to be beaten. Their jailers did it regularly too; almost as if it were a sport to see who could cause the most lacerations and spill the most blood the quickest. They hadn't seen either Yul or Tarak since their first week as captives three months prior and had absolutely no way of telling if they were even still alive. They guessed they were because there were some times days between collections and beatings during which the girls figured the General had to be amusing himself with his other toys.

"Breathe," Nikki told her friend, not daring to move for fear of disturbing her own partially healed wounds. It was almost feeding time.

"It's hard," Bren responded slowly. "My lungs don't want to listen. I can't do it anymore. I just want them to kill me."

"Hush; don't talk like that."

"How can you stand it? How can you let them violate you so much."

"I have to have faith that Haru and the others are still alive. That they're looking for us."

"Do you really think they're out there. You heard him. He said they wouldn't have left behind survivors. It's over. We lost. And now we're their personal play things." Bren growled, wincing every so often, tears rolling down her cheeks as pain seared through her weakened and fragile body."

"Maybe we'll escape. It's possible," Nikki told her, trying to be as optimistic as she could. But every time she spoke, she knew there was truth in Bren's words. She just didn't want to give up hope.

"That chance ran out long ago," Bren told her as the door creaked a bit. The guards were there to force feed them their food.

"Just one more month?" Nikki pleaded quietly while the keys turned in the door. "One more month?"

"Alright. One more month," Bren replied with a sigh. It was the same answer she'd given the last two times Nikki had asked the question. No matter what she said, she didn't want to give up the hope that the others might have been out there somewhere, looking for them, either.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**June 12**

**1:25 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster ?; Colony ????Y02**

"When I get my hands on them, I'm going to," Yul growled as he thrashed against his restraints making the entire bed shake.

"You're not going to get your hands on them that way," Tarak responded coolly. He stared straight up at the ceiling while the older youth thrashed around a bit more. Tarak let him, even though the racket he was making only gave him a worse head ache than he already head. Where were the guards with food? He was starving. Finally Yul went quiet. "You done?" Tarak asked him. He got a mere grunt of frustration in return.

"You think it's as bad for them?" Yul suddenly asked him, his voice filled with concern.

"Probably worse if they're even still alive," Tarak responded. At least five times a week the two young men were taken out of their cells to serve collection. They'd be force fed several pills to stimulate them, and then the General would make them sit for hours until they were sweating in agony, begging for release. Only then would he use a clamp on their genitals and allow them to ejaculate. On their other outings out of the cell, they were beaten until they were near death or praying for it.

"You think the General might have killed them?"

"Probably not on purpose. Or they could have taken their own lives," Tarak responded.

"I don't think they'd give up that easily. We could find a way," Yul answered him.

"You know as well as I do that there is only one hope, and that's that somehow, one of the others is alive and the General made a grave mistake."

"True. But even if they are alive…"

"They've got absolutely nothing to tell them were we are." Tarak finished for him. "I know."

A key turned in the door behind them. Tarak and Yul both quieted down, not wanting to appear too eager to be fed their daily allowance of food. The guards only came once a day, giving the two men stale bread and water which was force fed to them at a rate that almost no human being could have stood, unless of course they were starving. Hunger was the only reason either man even allowed the food near them, knowing if they refused even a single bite, the guards would instantly take the scant nourishment away and they would not return until the next day. They came like clock work, and it was only because of their arrival that Tarak and Yul even knew how long they'd been prisoners. Nearing just about three months. And three months of little nourishment meant that both of them were extraordinarily weak.

The guards stepped around the two men and grinned down at them.

"What? No food trays?" Tarak asked smartly, only to be slapped in the face.

"After," one remarked coolly, undoing the chains that held the wheeled bed that Yul rest on to the floor.

"After what?" Yul asked, actually curious. His body was telling him it was time to eat. He knew it was.

"The General wants an extra collection today," the second guard told them. Tarak and Yul took in a bit of air, fear showing on their faces. They weren't exactly sure how much longer either of them would be able to stand this treatment.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**June 30**

**5:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster ?; Colony ????Y02**

He lay quivering on the floor of his cell. He'd been blind folded and gagged again. It happened every time he was moved. They tried to be quiet around him. Not to let him no know that he wasn't alone with Heero anymore. Something had happened after Heero beat him. Whoever had given the former gundam pilot the orders to kidnap his former ally hadn't wanted him to beat him. There were a lot of hushed whispers after that day, and he hadn't so much as heard Heero since. It was if his captive had just disappeared.

All he knew was that someone, he'd been unconscious at the time, had blind folded him and moved him some place on a carrier saying something to someone else that a man named Withers had failed. That he'd broken down and that his cells had deteriorated. Not only that but a group known to only to Quatre as "They" had almost found him because Withers messed up. Quatre didn't know who "They" were, but if his captives didn't like it, then it was probable that Quatre himself, would.

"God I'm cold," he mumbled to himself. His arms were tied behind his back as usual, and he was against the wall. He'd just been brought back from another visit to the "doctors". That's all he knew. They thought he still figured Heero was doing all of it. He knew better. The people around him weren't his previous captor. Sure he'd been beaten before, but not even Heero could have been convinced to do some of the things they'd done to him. He wouldn't believe it was even possible.

Either way though, he refused to give up hope. Even when he'd heard of another group called the "others". Apparently some of the "others" had been killed, while still more of them were being held somewhere else in the vicinity and being used for things he didn't understand. Nor did he think he wanted to. His main concern was staying alive and keeping the guards oblivious to the fact that he could hear them talking. The General obviously needed to get men who knew how to hold their tongues better than the ones currently in his service. Quatre wasn't sure what he was going to do with the information he learned, but he knew he had to get more. He had to find out who "they" and the "others" were. He just had to.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**July 4**

**10:00 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3**

Ami growled as she pulled at Vulcan's control, causing the mobile suit to swirl around. It was the first action she'd seen since the General had kidnapped her friends and her fiancé. And it was their first lead to the whereabouts of the General's base.

"Come on Vulcan. Lets show these idiots what happens when they mess with our family," she laughed sending two more of their enemy bursting into flames. There would be no mercy in this battle. Their couldn't be. No one could be allowed to escape to report to the General that the remaining members of their team were still alive. He couldn't know until they were holding a gun to his head as his eyes rolled back.

Ami looked up to see how Kat was doing. She was flying in a fully repaired Osiris. Ayman had repaired his own suit, and then those of Nikki, Tarak, and Bren. No one even asked him why. They would find their friends. And their friends would want revenge. "Doing alright Kat?"

"Peachy. I have no idea how Bren managed to fly this thing," she called back, while taking out another enemy.

"Ladies, less chit-chat, more blasting," Trevet told them. For their first battle in months, they were doing exceptionally well. It wasn't surprising considering their motivation.

"You're not helping matters," Haru added. Only Ayman remained quiet, laughing a bit to himself. They may have been making jokes, but all five of them knew how dire the situation was, and how much worse it would get if they left anyone alive.

Three hours later, they were all exhausted. They'd been unable to kill the remaining four two pilots for the past half hour, but neither had the two been able to destroy them. They were stalemated.

"What do we do?" Ami cried over her speakers. No one had an answer for her.

"How does he fly for you?" The voice startled all five of them out of their stupor. The enemy had stopped moving. Despite the fact that they were all being addressed, they knew the speaker was talking to Kat. Static filled the communication monitors.

"W-what?" Kat stuttered, not believing her ears.

"I asked how he flies for you? Or are you too deaf to hear me clearly?" The voice dripped with malice.

"I think she's too dumb," a second voice cut through the intercom. The enemy had tapped into their systems, leaving the five pilots dumb founded. The static on their screens finally cleared, giving Kat, Ami, Haru, Trevet, and Ayman clear looks at their enemies; both who stared at them with hatred and disgust. Both had tattoos of serpents across their left cheeks.

"He's mine you know," the first one told Kat. She gulped, trying her absolute hardest not to cry.

"No," she whispered.

"And I suppose you threw mine out? Did you throw out all my things? Ami, are you sleeping with Haru now that we're gone?"

"I – what? How?"

"That's ok. Tarak's been a delight for me as well," the second added cruelly nearly causing Ami to nearly pass out. "He's so much more enjoyable than Haru."

"You're lying," Ayman yelled. "You're lying through your teeth." The boy was crying desperately at that point. Neither Haru or Trevet could speak. They were surprised, hurt, and scared as hell, as were Ami and Kat. Only Ayman seemed to understand what was happening. But even he was struggling with the truth. There was always a possibility.

"Are we?" Bren asked him, a sneer on her features.

"Or are we really going to kill you?" Nikki added.

* * *

Just a quick promise to Amy: I will never again go a year and a half before updating this. Or anywhere near a year and a half. It will be finished, that I absolutely promise you. Maybe only a few chapters left, but it will be finished. Love you little sis,

Fateless Wanderer


	16. Divided They Fall

Really quick author note: I have absolutely no earthly idea how I got this chapter up so quickly. That said, onto the reading. **

* * *

**

**Year: After Colony 233**

**July 4**

**10:30 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3**"What's the matter, Haruko? Seen a ghost?" Nikki tormented him, a sneer he'd never seen before across her features. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. He couldn't believe it. Not after everything they'd been through together. There was no way she was sitting in an enemy suit staring at him with hatred, ready to blast him to death. "Did you honestly believe I'd let you get away with abandoning me? I waited for you to save me, but you never came."

"I've been trying to find you," he argued back. He hadn't cried like this before. He had never been so hurt and scared before.

"Yeah right. You're happy not to have me around anymore, aren't you; happy not to have to deal with me."

"No."

"Haru, don't listen to her," Ayman told him, still trying to figure out what to do. If he said anything about what he thought, the two Serpents would blast them all to pieces before he could anything. But if he made a move, what would his allies do in response.

Haru ignored him.

"Yes. You've always wanted to get rid of me," Nikki hissed. He could see anger, and hurt in her eyes. He caused this. He hadn't found her in time.

"I didn't. I love you."

"Love? You can't honestly expect me to believe that? Remember what you promised? Remember that you promised you wouldn't hurt me?"

"I – I never meant to."

"Haru, I said don't listen to her. She's not real," he argued.

"SHUT UP!" Bren and Nikki both screamed at once. A beam shot from Nikki's suit, sending Kizer flying backwards.

"Ayman!" Ami and Kat hissed, watching the gundam drift out of sight. "What did you do?" She asked her friends. Nikki just glared at her in return.

"Bren, why?" Trevet finally asked.

"Why?" she laughed. "You really have to ask? How could you? How could you do that, after you promised. You told me I was the only one for you."

"You are. I never betrayed you."

"I don't believe you. No, I won't believe you. You've always been nothing but a lousy, rotten, ass. You killed your own sister. How could I love you?"

"Bren!" Ami and Kat cried.

"And you two. You make us sick," Bren turned her tongue onto her two best friends. "You haven't even tried to find us. Ami, you let them take us."

"I would have stopped them if I could."

"You had a gun," Nikki told her. "But you let them take us. Do you know what they did? Do you?"

Ami and Kat were crying by this point. They were using Ami's guilt against her. Kat wanted them to stop. She couldn't take this. She wanted to let them kill her.

"They raped us," Bren told them.

"And it's your fault. You let them," Nikki told her. "You let them hurt us. You hurt us."

"But not anymore; things aren't going to go that way anymore. We've got the power now," Bren stated. "And we're going to use it to hurt you."

"Say goodbye," Nikki finished, as the screens went black. Haru, Trevet, Ami, and Kat heard the explosion; they saw the red and orange light of the missiles going off; they waited for the pain that would accompany their bodies being pulled apart by the explosion as they closed their eyes, waiting for death. But it never came. Not even after the light disappeared and smoke filled the surroundings. Slowly, they opened their eyes.

In front of them were two demolished mobile suits. Pieces of debris swirled around in the expanse of space in front of them. To the right, an intact gundam floated gently. The pilot's heavy breathing and sobbing could be heard coming through the speakers into each of the other four cockpits. Nikki and Bren were gone. No one said a word.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**July 6**

**4:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster ?; Colony ????Y02**

Two men walked swiftly down a corridor away from a small holding cell. The guards assigned to the hall knew an important prisoner lay behind the six inch thick metal door. They knew he was occasionally removed, but no one knew any more than that. They were forbidden from entering; forbidden from speaking to the prisoner. That right rested only in the two men who retreated from returning the prisoner to his cell after his most recent trip to the "doctors".

The taller of the two men had bright green eyes which always seemed to be looking through whatever the man was looking at for the time. He wore his reddish brown hair cropped short. His uniform was sleeveless, revealing a serpent tattoo on the inside of his forearm. His companion was slightly shorter with chocolate brown eyes set on a sharp edged face and framed by dark brown hair. Unlike his companion, the snake tattoo on his back was hidden by his uniform. They walked in unison, the perfect soldiers.

A third officer moved slowly down the hall towards them. This man was different. His step was lighter than the typical tread of a serpent soldier. He was a lowly guard. Not important enough to receive more than the small glare the taller of the first two soldiers gave him as he approached. However, rather than walk past, the man seemed deliberately headed for them.

"Commander Writhe, Captain Sky," the man addressed them when they were in speaking range. He stopped and saluted the two superior officers. "The General has asked that you meet him in his offices to discuss the problem." He added emphasis on the last word. Both of the men glared at him once more.

"Very well, Private… um…"

"Jacobs. Duncan Jacobs, sir," the man addressed Commander Writhe. The senior officer nodded simply.

"Stand guard over the prisoner until the regulars arrive," Captain Sky added to the private, who once again saluted. He stood at attention to let the two men pass by. As soon as they'd disappeared around the corner, Duncan began to walk towards the cell, glancing down at the digital watch he wore every so often. He had just about twenty five minutes before the regular guards showed up. It was his first chance and probably his only one to confirm his suspicions about the prisoner in the cell.

As he reached the heavy door, he peered around and then slipped a silver lock pick from the cuff of his military jacket and inserted it into the lock. Several times he was forced to stop as sounds nearby constantly reminded him that he wasn't alone and that a mistake now would not only mean his life, but probably the lives of several others. He'd been thankful that he was the only officer in the report bay when an emergency transcript came in from one of the soldiers out on patrol around the Colony Cluster. All it had said was that there were five gundams and that they needed help. Duncan had burned the transcript before anyone ever noticed. They were alive, and that was good enough for him.

The soldier finally got the lock undone, and slipped inside the practically empty cell. A lone man lay on the floor, bound, blind folded, and gagged. He squirmed and whimpered, knowing someone had just entered his cage, fearful of what was going to happen to him. Duncan took a deep breath, horror filling his eyes as he took inventory of the small man.

The captive was thin and heavily bruised. He had multiple open wounds on his arms and his legs and his back was a mass of old and new scars, covered by fresh and still bleeding lacerations from his visit with Commander Writhe and Captain Sky. The cuts, Duncan was sure, were the work of Doctor Jamison and Doctor . He hated to see their handy work. Overall, the man looked like he was wasting away.

Duncan stepped closer to his body. Finally, only a few inches away, he knelt down beside him, resting a calming hand on the man's shoulder. The captive shivered in fear for a few moments more and then settled as Duncan calmly removed his blind fold. The smaller man winced in pain as the light burned his sensitive eyes, and Duncan waited calmly for him to see. "Relax. Take your time," he told him. With his words, the captive immediately froze. As his sight cleared, his eyes widened in shock and he stared at the soldier. Duncan smiled slightly, carefully removing the other man's gag. "Just keep your voice down."

"Zechs? How? What's going on? Where's Heero?"

"I don't have time to answer everything, Quatre. I need your help."

"My help? You're the one working for the Serpents," Quatre retorted, his voice dieing due to lack of moisture. Zechs handed him a flask and shook his head as the prisoner gulped down the water.

"I'm working with Duo to free you. I'm undercover," he told him, as Quatre sighed in relief and handed back the flask. "Your captor went insane, believing you had spoken to The General and that The General now liked you better; that you would replace him."

"But Heero."

"As far as I know, that wasn't Heero. They do some sort of cloning here. I'm not high enough up in the ranks to know more," Zechs told him. "Now listen. Apparently, whoever he was, he's no longer alive, so they moved you here. You aren't the only one who's been captured by The General. Barton and Chang were also captives, as was the Heero, if the information I've received from Maxwell is correct. All three managed to escape, although I'm not sure what condition they are in. For some reason, you're more important than any of them to The General."

"I don't know why," Quatre interrupted, only to be silenced by a glare from Zechs.

"As far as I know, they're currently helping Maxwell try and find you. I haven't given them the location yet because the moment they set foot here, they'll die. The General's forces are that strong and they'll be expecting them, no matter what. But they're not the only ones fighting. Maxwell has recruited your son, as well as the sons of the other pilots."

"What? That's not possible. Most of my sons joined the General. Unless… no!"

"Afraid so. Your youngest, I believe, is out there somewhere. But that's not the important part. What matters is that a few of them and their partners have been captured by The General and are being tortured just as you are. Here's what I need from you. Once I get the word to Maxwell, I'll signal you on their arrival. You have to create a distraction. Panic, threaten to kill yourself. I don't care what you do, so long as you make it big. My guess is you're too important to kill. That'll give Maxwell and the others the time they need to get in undetected. We'll take it from there."

Quatre let all the information sink in. He was just glad he wasn't alone. Glad Heero hadn't been behind this at all. Glad that his friends were out there trying to find him. Proud that his son refused to sit by and let others do the work, despite his young age.

"When?"

"I don't know. It could be days, weeks, months. I can't say. I won't visit you again. It's too risky," Zechs told him, glancing at his watch. Seven minutes remaining. "I've got to go. I have to put you back," he added.

"I understand. And thank you."

Zechs just nodded and slipped the gag back over Quatre's mouth, followed by the blind fold. He tightened it so nothing would seem suspicious, then grabbed his flask and stuck it back into his belt. He stood and slipped back out the cell door, closing it quietly behind him, jimmying the lock quickly back into place with the silver pick before taking a position directly beside the door just as the real guards turned the corner to relieve him.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**July 7**

**7:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 16NAK68**

Kat and Ami sat at the small apartment kitchen table taking sips of the tea that Kat had forced herself to make. Neither one spoke, but both knew what the other was thinking about as they stared either out the window or into the depths of the warm mugs between their hands. Three days had passed, and they all barely spoke to one another. Instead they roamed their shared apartment in silence save the sniffles from the girls who spent most of the time sobbing. Haru had locked himself up in the room he was supposed to share with Ayman and Trevet and hadn't been seen, save coming out to eat or relieve himself, which he did extremely rarely.

"Any word?" Trevet asked, coming back into the apartment after having spent the night searching. Kat shook her head, fresh tears forming.

"None. He's just disappeared," Ami answered him, holding back her own tears. Trevet muttered an almost silent curse, as Haru's door open and the man finally joined the group in the main rooms.

"He's gone then," Haru told them. "He's not going to come back if he hasn't already."

"We can't give up hope," Kat protested.

"There is no hope," Trevet replied. He and Haru took seats beside the two girls. "Hope ended when Nikki and Bren turned on us."

"But…"

"Kat, we're not blaming Ayman. They would have killed us if he hadn't acted. He did what he knew was the only thing to do. He did what none of us were strong enough to do."

'But Tarak and Yul could still be alive," Ami pleaded, more than stated to her three friends.

"Even if they are, it's more likely than not that they've probably turned as well. However, I doubt that they're alive," Haru explained, placing his aching head in his hands. One look at his face, and the others knew he'd been crying. Maybe not sobbing, but there had definitely been tears in his eyes and on his face recently.

"So you want us to give up?" Kat asked, her voice almost inaudible.

"There's nothing left for us to do," Haru replied.

"What about a rescue?"

"Wouldn't do any good, Trev. If they're alive, they aren't going to want to be rescued."

"And Quatre?"

"Probably long dead by now. Same with Commander Maxwell. Sorry Trev."

"Don't be. When we stopped hearing from him, I'd sort of started believing it myself. It's over then?"

"I guess," Kat agreed.

"What about Ayman? We can't just leave him out there? He's only a little kid," Ami protested.

"Ami, he never landed. He doesn't want us to know where he is. Do you think we could find him otherwise?" Haru's words stung, but he was right. After the battle, they'd all kind of been stunned by what happened, but after they'd landed, Kizer and Ayman were no where to be found. They'd checked the hanger where they typically kept the suits but he wasn't there. Haru had suggested they give him time, but he still hadn't returned. It was as obvious as if the words were spoken to them out loud. Ayman Winner wasn't coming back. He'd given up, and it was about time that the four of them gave up to.

"So what now?" Ami whispered, finally admitting the truth to herself. Her best friends had tried to kill her and were now dead. Her fiancé was either dead or out to kill her as well. There was nothing left for her to fight for.

"We can either keep fighting a losing battle with the rest of the colonial army, or," Haru began.

"We can go home," Trevet finished for him. He stared at the faces of the other three war torn individuals and sighed, meeting each of their eyes squarely. "I'm going to go pack. It'll be good to see Mom and Maddian again."

"My parents weren't too happy with me running off anyway," Ami muttered, shyly as she followed Trevet away from the table. Kat and Haru just followed them into the bedrooms silently. It was over. There was nothing left for them to do except to allow the colonies to come to the inevitable rule of the General.

"I hope he's a nice dictator," Kat muttered sarcastically.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**August 14**

**Noon**

**Location: Earth, Europe**

A small boy watched as four children ran around the large community yard beyond the small living room window where he sat. He could hear their voices, raised in laughter, as they played some odd version of tag that he'd never had the chance to learn. Behind him, a woman ironed a large pile of clothing, folding each piece as she went. He'd offered to help, but she's just suggested that he go and join the others. He didn't want to. He didn't know how to play.

The boy's eyes traced the forms of one of the boys and the older of the girls. The twelve year old twins were racing each other. He wanted to join them, but he was still afraid his older brother and sister wouldn't accept him. Maybe they didn't want him around.

His eyes fell on the younger of the two girls. He let a small smile grace his features as he watched her pick herself off the ground and dust the earth off her dress. She was the most fun for him to watch. She always had a spark in her that made him long to be near her. She'd been the one to ask him to play, but he'd refused, seeking the shelter of the house instead.

His mind drifted back to a month and a half earlier. He'd made sure to disappear after he'd killed Nikki and Bren. He was sure the others would want to kill him; he wanted to kill himself. He knew there was a chance they were still alive, but there was no way the others would have believed him. Not when he didn't know exactly what had happened. It shouldn't have had to go that way, but he'd had no choice. But it was over, in his mind. He just wanted to normal.

Days after the battle, he was starving and very dehydrated from all the crying he'd done, and Kizer wasn't going to be able to fly much further. He'd finally been forced to land and decided to make his way to the home of his mother and siblings, praying they'd take him in. He'd shown up on the doorstep, only to have his mother throw her arms around him and instantly welcome him in. Yet he still felt like an outsider intruding on their small world of peace.

The boy pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on top of them, closing his eyes and slipping into thought, he began to drift to sleep, listening to his mother humming softly behind him. In his mind's eye he saw Ami, Kat, Haru and Trevet. They were angry. They each had guns, and he was surrounded. He whimpered slightly as his dreams changed. This time he saw Tarak and Yul. They too wanted to kill him, but he didn't see hurt in their eyes. He saw hatred. Guns fired, and his dreams shifted a second time. He found himself standing in a deserted graveyard, carrying a large bouquet of flowers. He stood over two graves. As the boy knelt before the graves of his two friends, he heard laughing behind him. He glanced up, only to find Nikki and Bren laughing psychotically behind him before they started shoveling dirt into the whole he found himself trapped in. "No," he whimpered just loud enough for his mother to hear as he snapped his eyes open. The woman looked at him, concern written on his face.

He just gave her a small reassuring look. Yeah, the dreams bothered him, but not a single day had gone by since the battle that he hadn't dreamed like that. His sleep, when he got it was never peaceful. He was haunted by the ghosts of his friends, demons from his past, and the guilt that he'd given up. He hated himself for all of it.

"Ayman?" the woman spoke to him. "Ayman, you should really go outside. Get some fresh air."

Ayman glazed up at his mother, wanting to say something. He wanted to tell her what he'd done. He wanted to tell her that her ten eleven year old son had killed his friends and given up on rescuing his father. But all he could do was nod and leave through the front door. He could sit on the stoop just as well as he could sit in the window.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**September 1**

**3:00 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3; Colony 83GKY02**

Duo walked down an empty street. They'd finally checked out their last possible lead, and hit a brick wall. They had no choice now but to wait for either more information or for the General to finally establish full control over each and every one of the colonies. Everything they had worked for when they were younger; it had all been for nothing. His son was reported dead, as were the children of his friends, and Wufei was right. It was his fault.

He pushed his hands deeper into his trench coat pockets. For early fall, it really was getting unusually cold. It didn't surprise him. When something was wrong, it was usually the weather simulators that went first. Duo kicked a pebble as he went. In his mind, he imagined the pebble was the General, the man responsible for everything Trowa, Wufei, Heero, Quatre, and he were going through at the moment. It was the General's fault that Trowa and Wufei had been imprisoned for months, weakened from malnutrition. It was the General's fault that Heero had been beaten until he was near death. It was the General's fault that Quatre had been kidnapped after attempting to stop his sons from joining the man. It was the General's fault Duo had needed to recruit mere boys to fight against him. It was, however, Duo's fault that the boys were dead.

He entered a small bar, planning on drowning away his guilt with a beer or two. It also didn't hurt that the bars were the places one was more than likely to hear gossip; gossip that could possibly place them back on the right track. Standing in the doorway, Duo glanced around, noting several very drunk Serpents in the back corner. It was becoming increasingly common to find the enemy out in the open. Civilians were scared of them.

He approached the bar and ordered a beer. The bar tendered brought it to him, and Duo leaned back against the counter, just far enough away from the Serpents that he couldn't have been recognized or accused of eavesdropping, despite the hidden earpiece he wore. Because of it, he could hear the drunks loud and clear. However, that wasn't what caught his attention. Instead it was the man with the long white hair wearing a long tan coat over what Duo assumed was a military uniform. The man's gaze beckoned him over. Duo raised an eyebrow, but downed the rest of his beer, and walked over, sliding into the booth across from the man.

"Haven't heard from you in a while. I was sure you'd been killed."

"Not yet," Zechs responded, taking a sip of his own drink. "Had a few close calls though."

"That's a shame. You used to thrive on close calls," Duo told him with a slight smile. "I'm glad to see someone's still alive."

"You heard the rumors then? That the General managed to kill the mysterious nine fighters that were out to destroy him?"

"How could I not? It's been in all the papers and on just about every news station on every colony. The General sure likes to brag."

"When there's nothing to brag about," Zechs answered simply.

"What are you talking about?" Duo asked, very curious as to what his surprise guest was referring to.

"Your sons; they're all still alive. As are their girlfriends," Zechs answered.

"You're kidding."

"I swear I'm not. There are four prisoners being held at the base: Yul Chang, Tarak Barton, Brennett Clemense, and Nikkimi Lee. They're being used in the clone testing. However, on July fourth, a force of Serpents clashed in battle with five mobile suits, three of them gundams. None of the Serpents made it out alive, and the last two alive were clones. I was lucky to have intercepted the transmission. The General has no idea the five who aren't his prisoners are alive."

"You waited this long to tell me?"

"Well, for one, I have more information for you. And for another, I couldn't exactly run off and find you. It would look a bit suspicious, don't you think."

"I'm sorry, it's just," Duo began.

"He's your son. I know," Zechs finished.

"You said you had more?"

"Yes. A fifth prisoner was brought in several months ago after his private guard went insane and almost killed him. He's been on top priority security ever since, but I managed to finally get in and talk to him. I know where they're keeping Winner."

"You saw Quatre? You know where he is?"

"Calm down," Zechs hissed at his ally. Duo struggled to keep his cool. It was all becoming too much to take in. The lead they so desperately needed was sitting directly in front of him. "I do, but I can't tell you yet."

"Why not?"

"Because, the moment I do, you and your hot headed friends are going to charge right in there. I can't always rely on Barton to keep you from doing something stupid. He, Chang, and Yuy are with you, I take it?" Duo simply nodded understanding despite the fact that he didn't like it.

"What do we need to do?"

"You need to find your son and his friends," Zechs. "Don't come back to this bar until you have them. It's going to take all of us to even have a chance free Quatre and destroy the General. I'll be waiting for you." Zechs took one last sip of his drink, swallowing the rest of the liquid, and then left, leaving Duo sitting very much alone, with a new wealth of information, and no idea how he was going to tell the others.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**October 2**

**6:00 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L3; Colony 83GKY02**

"Are you coming down to dinner, dear?"

"No," was the simple reply. It was all Mr. and Mrs. Lornen had been able to get out their daughter since she'd returned almost three months ago. All she told them is that she didn't want to go back to school; that she needed time to think. Mr. Lornen had wanted to send her straight back, but Mrs. Lornen told him no. She, however, blamed the war. Ami should never have joined. And now her daughter wasn't going to tell her what had happened.

Ami lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. It was probably the only thing she'd done since she had returned home. The patterns on the ceilings reminded her of the stars. She could see her friends in them, all of them too far away for her to reach. She picked up a small object off her bedside table and twisted it in the air, its edges catching the light from the setting sun. She held it up until it was directly above her face, and as she stared at it, she let a single tear fall. She placed it back in its new rightful place on the table. It just wasn't right to wear her engagement ring anymore. Not when that life was so far away from her now.

Ami sat up slowly and dried her eyes. She slipped her feet into her slippers and descended down the stairs to where her mother, father, and younger brother were all seated around the dinner table. They gave her questioning looks.

"I'm not allowed to change my mind?" Ami asked. Her younger brother smirked and shook his head. Her father just nodded, but her mother instantly rushed to the young woman who'd decided to eat with her family for the first time since she'd gotten home.

"Of course not dear," she cooed gently, taking Ami's hand and guiding her towards the table. "Come. Sit beside me. I've made all your favorites."

She had indeed made all of the girl's former favorites. However, now, the sight of them made her kind of sick. She hadn't eaten anything near as rich since she, Nikki, Bren, and Kat had left for the war. She sort of missed quick meals, and even some of the food they'd provided at the training base. But she still sat, giving her mom a small smile.

"Looks great, mom," she replied, reaching toward a bowl of mashed potatoes on the far end of the table. Her long sleeves slid upward, revealing the stark white scars that ran on her arms as reminders of attack on the hospital that had been the beginning of the end. Her mother gasped, seeing the scars against the cream of her daughter's skin. Ami looked at her questioning before she realized what her mother had seen. She pulled her arms back quickly.

"Oh Ami," her mother whined.

"I'm alright. Its nothing," she told her mother, holding her arms protectively to her chest. Her father gave her a disapproving look, while her brother just stared. Ami, let a few tears fall, before pushing herself back away from the table and taking off, running up the stairs.

About an hour later, someone tapped lightly on her door. She didn't answer, but the person proceeded into the room. "Ami?" her younger brother's voice called to her. She turned to look at him. He could tell she'd been crying again.

"What happened, Ami?" She just continued to stare at him. "Ami?"

She finally sat up and gave him a tiny smile, hoping to reassure him. "Nothing. Just me being stupid." She hoped to convince him.

"I'm sure it was brave too though," he told her, coming further into the room and sitting down on her bed beside her. "Could you tell me?"

"I wouldn't know where to begin," she answered.

"It doesn't matter."

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**October 14**

**7:00 am**

**Location: Colony Cluster L2; Colony 14JDW62**

He swung his bag higher up onto his shoulder as he stood outside the white picket fence, gazing at the old country style house. Leave it to his father to choose to live in the middle of a country colony. He remembered being younger and his father telling them that the only thing missing was the golden retriever running around. His mother had hit him. No dog was going to ruin her perfect house.

Somehow the picture in front of him seemed too perfect to be disturbed. The young man gazed into the distance. He could see the dreaded, forbidden, taboo hanger in the distance. He got a chill up his spine as he looked at it. For a moment he was tempted to head towards it; to turn his back on the house in front of him. He took two steps away from the gate. He would have gone farther if he hadn't heard the cry of joy from behind him. He should have known she'd be awake.

The young man swept a hand through his blonde hair, rolling his violet eyes with an exasperated sigh, as he turned back around and caught the young woman who dove into his waiting arms, sobbing. He knew it was tears of joy to see him home as he held her, trying to quiet her.

"You'll wake the whole neighborhood," he told her with a bit of laugh, even though it was empty. The girl looked up at him, a huge grin on her face. It faltered for a moment when she saw the light gone from his eyes. They were much duller than their normal shine, despite recent washings of tears.

It had taken him three months to come home. He hadn't known exactly where he was going to go after they'd reached their decision, so he'd wandered. He'd wanted to see as much of the colonies and the earth as he could before the General took control.

"There, that's better now. Come on, lets go tell mom I'm home," Trevet Maxwell told his younger sister. Maddian just nodded, and let him lead the way into their home. She knew there was something different about him. And Trevet knew she knew. Maddy always knew. He just sighed slightly in response. Nothing could ever be kept secrete from his sister, so it would be better to tell her and his mother at the same time, rather than have Maddy tell everyone later.

"Mom?" Trevet called, stepping foot cautiously into his home for the first time since his father had "recruited" him almost two years before. It smelled just like he remembered it did. However, it made him shiver worse than the sight of the hanger in the distance.

Katrina Maxwell didn't hesitate to come running at the sound of her son's voice. Trevet smiled as he caught his mother, nearly the mirror image of his sister, with nearly the identical reaction. Trevet was glad he hadn't worn a good shirt as he was now drenched with tears. However, he just held her until she'd calmed down enough for him to release her and be confident that she would remain standing. He placed his bag on the floor.

"There are some things I need to tell you," he told them, simply. "A good many things," he thought to himself as he led the way into their kitchen. His mother might as well brew some coffee.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**October 23**

**5:45 pm**

**Location: Earth; England**

"That man called the General is out there where Sir and Madam are; shouldn't we be worried?"

"Perhaps."

"What do you mean 'perhaps'? Sir and Madam could be in danger."

"It is highly unlikely. Sir would never place Madam in harms way."

"But do you think it was wise to take a holiday to colonies at such a tumultuous time. The rebels are going to be crushed. What if Sir were to be mistaken for one of them?"

"I don't think anyone could mistake Sir for one of those pieces of filth. The colonists have always been worthless, troublesome, upstarts."

In another room, able to hear the conversation loud and clear, a glass shattered in the grip of a young woman. Most of the vessel and the water it contained ended up on the floor, but there were several shards lodged in her hand, adding droplets of blood to the mix.

The two servants having the discussion seemed to have heard the accident and had paused in their conversation. They resumed, but their voices were filled with concern.

"If you have fears about Sir and Madam, you shouldn't voice them where Miss can hear. Not after she's just returned from traveling abroad, only to find her parents aren't home to welcome her."

So her parents had told the staff their beloved daughter had quit University in order to go gallivanting across the world. At least it was a better lie than they had told when she'd chosen to attend school in the colonies. Sure it had been alright for her secondary school, but for University. She wouldn't have gotten a proper education being taught by uncivilized colonists. They contented themselves by telling others she was off helping the less privileged. At least they hadn't said she'd had another accident like the time she'd taken sleeping pills to kill herself. Katylina Rochet shook her head and glanced down at her palm as the voices of the head maid and butler drew closer.

"The poor dear. She's been so quiet since she got home," the maid answered the butler. The old woman entered the dining room, her eyes falling first on Kat and then on the mess at her feet, and lastly on her bloody hand. "Miss! Good heavens," she screamed. Kat resisted the urge to slap her. It wasn't their fault they didn't know she'd had much, much worse than a few glass cuts. "Your parents are fine, sweet. Come, let's get you cleaned up." She attempted to lead Kat away from the broken glass. The girl just pulled herself out of the woman's grasp, angered by the conversation.

"I'm fine," she spat, although she winced in pain as she closed her hand on several shards still lodged in her skin. She began to storm off.

"Poor dear; what horrible manners she's developed. She must have picked them up from those horrible colonists," the woman tried to whisper to the butler. Too bad for her, Kat heard every word. The younger woman whirled around, her eyes burning in anger, tears threatening their way to the surface.

"Listen to me. And listen to me carefully," she hissed, trying her best to keep her voice level in the large estate. "I didn't have an accident when I was nine, I tried to kill myself. I didn't choose to go to University in the colonies to help less fortunate, I went because the school looked great and my friends where there. And I wasn't traveling abroad for the past year. I joined the colonist army and I've been fighting the General alongside my friends and the colonists in Mobile Suits with lasers and bombs and bullets. And I was in a coma for several months because my suit got blasted apart. Oh yeah, and I saw my best friends killed right in front of me three and a half months ago. Please! Please, don't call me poor dear again, because you have absolutely no idea."

With that, she turned on her heel and sped away, leaving two very stunned servants behind her.

* * *

**Year: After Colony 233**

**October 31**

**9:55 pm**

**Location: Colony Cluster L5; Colony 46FJX89**

The apartment was just as he'd left it. He was slightly glad he'd bought the apartment and hadn't rented it, or it wouldn't have been there any longer. He'd tried going home, but every since he'd moved out, it had been deserted. Haruko Yuy figured his father must have gone off in search of Renyu, to try and persuade him not to join the General. It didn't matter to him. He knew his father was alive. If he decided Haru needed to know about is location, he'd send him word, somehow. He'd spent a few months at the desolate house where he'd been born, where he'd first met Nikki, but he couldn't stay there. There were too many painful reminders of his past there.

Haru sighed and gazed around the desolate apartment. His eyes lingered on the spot where Duo had shot Nikki nearly two years before as he dropped his bag onto the bed they were supposed to share that night. He whipped his hand across his eyes, forcing back tears of misery as he crossed the room to the window. He remembered her standing there clad only in a towel, her hair brushing her shoulders. It was raining outside just as had been that night. A flash of lightning lit the room and he thought he saw her standing there beside him for a moment, but it was only his imagination. He shook his head and pulled the heavy curtains closed before stripping off his clothes and entering the bathroom to take a shower.

When he walked back into the room wearing only his boxers, he collapsed onto the bed, his eyes once again focusing on the slightly bloody spot on the carpet. He reached down to his jeans which lay on the floor beside it and pulled something out as he sat up. He placed the object in his lap, contemplating what had happened in the past few years. There had been some ups, like proposing to the woman he loved, but the downs vastly outweighed them.

"It started here," he muttered to no one but himself. "And this is where it will end," he added as he raised the gun he held

* * *

.  
So, I can't not end with a cliff hanger, can I? Even if I am getting very, very close to the end of this thing. Somewhere between 2 – 4 chapters remain, and that's including epilogue (at least that's how it is in my mind). 

I love my charries (or rather the people they're based off of) hint hint: REVIEW

Fateless Wanderer


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